Hidden Bonds
by AquaStormXIV
Summary: AU. Sora and Naminé are the royal twins of Radiant Garden. Their parents have a strained relationship no one will tell them about. But when Naminé hears a rumor about the past and Sora meets a man named Terra, pieces of their family's past come together.
1. Sora

**Hidden Bonds**

**Summary: AU. Sora and Naminé are the royal twins of Radiant Garden. Their parents have a strained relationship no one will tell them about. But when Naminé hears a rumor about the past and Sora meets a man named Terra, pieces of their family's past come together.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**NOTE: The title is mostly to describe events before this ****story that move the plot along. They will be shown fully in a prequel.**

**A shout out to Fantasy0Girl and The Infinite Dani-Chan Replika, who both knew about it first and gave me some title ideas. None of their ideas were the ultimate result, but their suggestions did give me the final result, so I thank you both.**

**Chapter 1 – Sora**

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The clanging of metal could be heard in the courtyard of Radiant Garden's massive castle-fortress, Hollow Bastion. Two young warriors were training to master their Keyblade-wielders' skills.

One boy was the son of King Xehanort, Sora. Some found it hard to believe Sora was actually Xehanort's son as the boy looked nothing like him. Sora had dark brown hair and deep blue eyes, and his skin was a light tan shade. Many believed Sora's eyes were a trait inherited from his mother, but it didn't explain his hair. They had no explanation, so the subject had been dropped when Sora and his twin sister, Naminé, were still babies.

Training with Sora, was his tall, silver-haired, blue-eyed best friend, Riku. They'd been best friends since they were little boys. Riku often outdid Sora in their little competitions, but Sora was fairly adept in combat.

Riku darted around Sora. Sora blocked with his think skeleton key-like Keyblade, simply known as the Kingdom Key. It couldn't look any simpler, the blade, teeth, and Keychain, shaped like a mouse head, were all silver while the guard around the handle was gold.

Riku's Keyblade was far more unique in appearance compared to Sora's. He called it Way to the Dawn. The blade was a red and blue bat wing with a light blue angel wing. Similar wings served as the guard and a black heart was the Keychain symbol.

"Too slow, Sora!" Riku had managed to force Sora back onto his butt. And the force Riku had used had caused Sora to drop his Keyblade.

"Don't you have anything better to do than taunt me every time you win?" Sora asked. "I mean, c'mon, Riku, you could say something nicer."

"I'm just trying to toughen you up. You can't be a Keyblade Master if you're soft."

"Soft, schmoft. I'm plenty tough." Sora slumped down on the ground.

"Tell that to my Keyblade," Riku said as he dispersed it. "So, Sora, any plans later?" Riku stretched his arms and laid back, facing the sky. "Gonna go see Kairi?"

"Uh…" Sora's face flushed red. Kairi was the maid who took care of Naminé's room, and also his sister's friend. Sora had had a crush on her since she'd come to the castle six months ago. She'd started helping because her mother also worked in the castle.

"Answer the question. Are you gonna go see Kairi?"

"She's with Naminé," Sora replied. "I'm not interrupting them."

"Whatever, you should get up the guts and ask her out, though,"

"All right, you slackers, enough dillydallying," a stern voice said.

Riku sat up straight and Sora jumped to his feet. Approaching them was their Keyblade Master, Eraqus.

Master Eraqus was an old friend of Ansem the Wise, Sora's grandfather on his father's side. The wise man dressed like a warrior in samurai robes. With a stern expression in his brown eyes, he was enough to make any enemy shake with fear. His black hair was tied atop his head in a knot that gave you a clear view of the scars on his right eye and left cheek.

"I see you both have been practicing," Eraqus said. "Very good. But you both are going to be instructed in magic today, as opposed to physical strength."

Riku groaned. He _hated_ magic. Learning it was a pain. You had to concentrate to get a spell just right. It wasn't like physical Keyblade dueling. If you didn't perform a spell just right, you'd get burnt, frozen, shocked, and anything else that was a bad side effect of being hit by a spell.

Riku was better at combat than Sora was, due to his speed. Sora focused on damaging opponents with heavy hits, but he was also better at magic than Riku. He'd managed to learn a few advanced techniques, Riku had managed to learn only two since he was more adept with Way to the Dawn.

Master Eraqus believed Sora's inept magical ability came from his mother, Princess Aqua, who was brilliant with magic. She'd been Eraqus's students for a few years, but had to stop just prior to Sora and his sister's birth.

"Why magic, of all things, WHY?" Riku yelled.

"Riku, as I've told you time and again, magic is a crucial skill for Keyblade wielders," Eraqus said sternly. "I've seen you do quite well with Fire spells."

"Which is relatively all I can do," Riku muttered.

"You are also quite adept with Zero Gravity and Magnet magic. Riku, you're doing quite well. You even mastered Cura during our last lesson."

"Riku, get over it," Sora said. "Magic's a Keyblade Master skill. We've gotta learn it."

"Says the guy whose mom is a natural at magic," Riku said.

"Riku, Sora, enough arguing," Eraqus said. "Let us proceed with our lesson."

For the next half hour or so, the apprentices practiced Blizzard magic. Sora got both his feet frozen to the ground, once by his own backfired spell. Riku froze a window and a tree solid. One of his blasts almost hit a guard at the front gate. The guy jumped down the stairs leading into town to avoid the blast. Sora almost burst a lung, he laughed so hard.

After another fifteen minutes, they were joined by a new visitor.

Sora's mother, Princess Aqua.

Fifteen years ago, Aqua had merely been a minor Radiant Garden noble's daughter. She'd married Xehanort around that time, just before he took the throne from Ansem.

Around Radiant Garden, Aqua was called the Water Princess. There was something about her that gave a person a feeling they were looking at a human embodiment of water. Her eyes and long hair were just as blue as the element for which she was named. Sora often heard how many people thought she was beautiful, and many men wished she were their bride, but she was Xehanort's.

Much to her own displeasure.

It was well known that she disliked her husband. The reason? No one knew. She never talked about it and Xehanort couldn't be bothered to talk about it either. Sora had once asked his grandfather about it, but his answer had been, "Your mother will tell you when she feels ready to. Now, please leave, Sora. I'm in the middle of an experiment."

"How's training going?" Aqua asked.

"Good, Mom," Sora responded. "We're doing a magic lesson."

"My favorite thing." Aqua smiled.

Sora loved it when his mother smiled because she rarely did. She was normally quite sad, or sometimes angry. This was all because of Xehanort. Something, that Sora didn't know about, had given her reason to hate him. Only Sora and Naminé seemed to give her any happiness. Them and magic, anyway.

Something Eraqus had taught Sora and Riku a long time ago was to be aware of the Light and Darkness in a person's heart. Aqua's heart was quite strange. All Sora sensed from her was pure Light, much like Kairi. But Aqua's Light was strange. Most of the time, it seemed quite dim, due to her sadness. When she was happy, her heart radiated light like the sun.

"Good morning, Aqua," Eraqus greeted.

"And to you, Master Eraqus." Aqua bowed her head as she sat down on a nearby bench. "But don't let me interrupt. I just came to watch."

"Very well." Eraqus turned back to his students.

After another twenty minutes of turning the courtyard into winter-halfway-to-becoming-spring, the lesson ended.

Riku headed back into the part of the main city where he lived. He lived close enough to Hollow Bastion, but he hated taking the long road through the front gardens up to the gates.

Aqua walked back into the castle. She said she was going up to see Naminé.

"Sora, will you stay behind a minute, please?" Eraqus asked.

"What is it Master?" Sora asked.

"I know Riku was just teasing you," Eraqus said, "but do not let some small affection for a young lady get in the way of your training. It cost me one of my best students several years ago." Sora's eyes bulged at that.

"Is he dead?" the Prince asked.

"I don't think so. He could still be alive, but if he is, he's still in exile." Eraqus sighed heavily. "I haven't seen him in a long time."

The Keyblade Master turned and walked away, leaving his apprentice to his thoughts. But the only one on Sora's mind was,

_"What's he talking about?"_

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**Feels good to be writing again. I can honestly say I've missed it. But this insane urge overcame me to write this story once I came up with the idea.**

**Chapter one is done. Hope you liked it. And before you ask, the Xehanort in here is the younger one. And yes, Aqua has long hair.**

**By the way, unlike 'Guided by the Heart', Eraqus is not as strict about romance between Keyblade wielders. You'll find out in a much later chapter why. Don't ask for spoilers. I'm not saying anything.**


	2. Secrets

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**NOTE: Old man Xehanort makes no appearance. This Xehanort is the one that was Ansem's apprentice. Before you all think of possession.**

**Chapter 2 – Secrets**

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In a tower room, Princess Naminé was sketching a picture of her mother, trying to get the shadow under her blue hair just right. She could never find the exact shade of blue. Her mother's hair was such a unique color and there was no colored pencil, paint, or crayon of the exact same shade.

The Princess's pale blonde hair occasionally fell into her face, she'd push it back behind her shoulder, only for it to slide over again two minutes later. Her blue eyes scanned through the blue colored pencils. She'd organized the colors by rainbow order and then with each individual section from lightest to darkest. None of the blue shades her mother's hair.

A loud thud behind Naminé diverted her attention to the maid cleaning it.

"I'm so sorry!" the girl shrieked.

Naminé's box of paint had knocked over. The lid had fallen off, causing some jars to roll out of sight. Two went under Naminé's bed and another rolled over to Naminé's feet. One was still inside the box lid. Thankfully the caps were still on. Some paintbrushes were scattered around the maid's feet along with the cup stained from overuse of paint-water.

"It's okay," Naminé said. She picked up the jar at her feet and walked over to help. "Nothing spilled. So it's fine."

"I was just trying to move your smock and for some reason one of the ribbons was under the box, pulling your supplies with it."

"It's okay, Kairi."

The first time Naminé had met Kairi, Sora had been around and was astounded by how similar the two looked, even though they weren't related. The main difference were the eye and hair color. Kairi's hair was dark red, almost brown, and her eyes were just slightly purple if seen in the right light.

A minute later, all the spilled paints and brushes were back in the box, which was back on Naminé's shelf.

"Sorry to distract you, Princess." Kairi bowed low.

"It's no problem, Kairi," Naminé assured.

They resumed what they were doing, Kairi her cleaning and Naminé her drawing. But eventually, the maid had made her way over to the Princess and her drawing.

"That's a pretty drawing," Kairi said.

"Thanks. I'm hoping Mom likes it too. Maybe it'll make her smile," Naminé said. "She's been so depressed lately and I think she just needs something to lift her spirits." This was true, Naminé and Sora's mother rarely seemed to smile. She was always sad about something, and only her son and daughter were ever able to lift her spirits.

"My mom told me she used to smile all the time the first time she came here," Kairi said as she dusted the bookshelf near Naminé desk.

"Your mom worked here when my mom first came?"

"Yep. Back then, she wasn't even with Xehanort. In fact, she'd already fallen in love with his brother."

"His brother?" Naminé's pencil stopped in its tracks. She had an uncle? What was that about? "What else do you know?"

"Well, Mom hasn't mentioned the other Prince's name to me in a while. It started with a 'T' or something, but I forgot." Kairi shrugged. "Anyway, Princess Aqua and the other Prince had fallen in love and I think they were even going to be married."

Naminé was shocked. She knew her mother didn't love her father, but she tolerated him. Maybe the rest of Kairi's story would give an answer as to why she hated him.

"Why didn't they get married?"

"One day, he just disappeared. Mom said she saw him and Aqua say goodbye and he kissed her, swearing he would always love her. Aqua promised the same and then he just rode away on his horse. No one's seen him since."

This was certainly strange. Her mother's lover had just mysteriously left, even though he still loved her.

"After that," Kairi continued, "your mom married Xehanort and he became King. Soon after, you and Sora were born. End of the story, I guess."

"I wonder where Mom's first love went."

"Sorry to be rude, but I guess you didn't hear me, Princess," Kairi said. "He's not really her _first_ love, he's her _only _love. She never stopped loving him. My mom's taken care of Aqua since she came here. It was known she had been intended to marry Xehanort from the start, but the other Prince had won her heart. My mom watched their romance and was the only one who knew about it the whole time."

"So, they fell in love and something happened to make him leave, but they're still in love?"

"Your mother is," Kairi said. "No one's seen the other Prince since he left fifteen years ago. He probably found someone else by now.

"Maybe Mom can tell me about it," Naminé said.

"My mom tries to get her to talk about it," Kairi said as she pulled a rag from the loop on her white apron. She dipped it into a bucket of water and started cleaning the windows. She saw a head of blue hair below the window. Princess Aqua was down in the courtyard watching Sora and his friend Riku train. Their teacher Master Eraqus was overseeing Sora and Riku blast ice at nearly everything in sight. "She's been silent about her romance with the Prince since his departure. But sometimes Mom says she hears your mom crying at night, wishing he was there with her."

"Fifteen years… a long time to be separated and still love someone…" Naminé said.

"Who knows, maybe the Prince does still love her. Mom actually said that Aqua tried escaping a few times after their separation, but she was always caught. She even did it after she married Xehanort. But a few months later, she stopped trying."

"Why?"

"Probably because you and Sora were on the way." Kairi shrugged again.

"Maybe."

This didn't dim Naminé's curiosity though. Her mother had loved someone else before being forced into her marriage. Naminé had always thought her parents' marriage was just arranged. Her mother had tried to return to her true love, but Xehanort had stopped her, and now she and Sora were in the way.

"I feel kind of bad," Naminé said. "Sora and me are now the reason Mom can't be with the guy she really loves."

"You sound like you don't think she should stay with her husband, Princess."

"She should be with someone she loves. She's always told me stories about people falling in love and getting married. Heroes saving their damsels in distress."

"Kind of sounds like she's still distressed," Kairi added. The Princess nodded.

"Still waiting for her knight in shining armor," Naminé mused. "I wonder if he's still waiting to come back to her."

"They promised to love each other forever. But who knows if the man stayed true to his word?" The maid shrugged. "No one's seen him in years."

Their conversation ended and Naminé tried to return her concentration to her artwork, but her thoughts strayed back to her mother and this mysterious lover of hers.

Where was he now? What caused him to leave? And was he the reason Aqua was always so upset?

Naminé wanted answers to her questions. Asking the man was out of the question. Asking her mother was also out of the question since both Naminé and Sora had tried to ask why she was always so sad. She would always just smile sadly and make up some excuse to leave. Questions about her sadness just made her want to be alone.

Sora had even tried to ask Xehanort and Grandpa Ansem. Xehanort would turn away glumly and refused to answer. Ansem had said that Aqua would answer when she felt ready.

Fifteen years of not being ready? How much longer would she need?

So, if Ansem, Xehanort, and Aqua wouldn't say anything, where would Naminé get her answers?

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**The maid was going to be random until I dropped Kairi in her place. So, there ya go. Even though Kairi is mentioned in the first chapter, this part was written beforehand.**

**This was originally going to be chapter four, but I switched it and the original chapter two. Reason? More details of Aqua's story are revealed in it. So, just wait a bit.**

**A new character comes in next chapter. Guess who!**


	3. The Hermit

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 3 – The Hermit**

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It was the hottest day of the year for Radiant Garden. On a day like this, Sora liked to get out of the city and go to a nearby river. Though he could walk to the river by walking, he liked to take these days to go for a ride on his horse, who also liked the river.

Sora had named his horse Striker, because he believed this horse was faster than any other. Whether it was true or not was yet to be seen. But he loved this horse and wouldn't choose any other over him.

Sora's horse was in fact the baby of his mother's horse. Aqua said it had been a gift from someone special to her, someone she loved. Sora had at first suspected she'd meant Xehanort, but everyone knew she didn't love him. Sora had never gotten an answer as to who gave her the horse.

Striker sniffed the air curiously. He smelled fresh grass. He sprinted towards it.

"ACK! Striker! WHOA! WHOA!" Sora cried. Striker didn't hear him.

The horse finally slowed down into trot when a stream came into sight. The stopped in the meadow just beside the stream and started to munch.

Sora leaped off with sweet relief.

"Land, sweet land!" he cried. He actually yanked out a handful of grass and kissed it, before realizing what he was doing and spitting the bit of leafy green that had gotten in his mouth.

"That was a good ride boy, but try not to sprint by surprise again!" Sora begged. He might've been imagining it, but Striker made an odd noise that sounded like chuckling.

His horse was laughing at him. Wonderful.

Sora pulled off his gloves and pocketed them before putting his hands in the water. He took a small sip before splashing some more on his face. Striker joined him by the waterside and stuck his muzzle in for a drink.

Deciding the heat was too much, Sora pulled off his shoes, pants, and shirt and jumped into the water in his underwear. The horse ignored him.

Sora spent at least another twenty minutes swimming… until he heard it.

Something crackled in the trees. Sora got the familiar feeling he was being watched. Familiar because he often saw his father peering at him from around corners. This wasn't half as bad as the few times Riku would perform sneak attacks when he least expected it. It was so embarrassing when Riku did it.

The scuffling moved and Sora could swear he saw a shadow move. It was tall and broad, a man most likely.

"Hello?" Sora called.

No answer, but more rustling.

"Who's out there?" The Prince stuck his hand underwater and summoned his Keyblade, making sure to keep even the grip out of sight.

That's when it happened.

A whip, fast as lightning, struck from the bushes and wrapped itself around the spot where grip connected with Keychain on Sora's weapon. It yanked it out of his hands and into the leafy shadows.

"Hey! Give it back!"

Sora leaped out of the water, still in his underwear, only to get jumped.

He was down in all of five seconds, clenching his eyes shut, hoping this guy would kill him quick.

He never felt any pain. All Sora felt was something heavy pressed against his neck. The dull, but loud, thump next to his ear told Sora his Keyblade had been dropped to the ground, a small 'shing' noise told him it had disappeared. A foot pressed against his stomach.

Thinking this wasn't an assassination attempt after all, he risked a peak to see the last thing he'd expected.

Sora was staring up at a glaring man holding a Keyblade to his neck.

"Who are you?" the man demanded. His skin was tan from being in the sun. His eyes were a deep shade of blue and his hair brown like fresh soil. He clothes were those of a warrior, a skin-tight black shirt, so tight you could see the form of his muscles underneath; tan hakama pants; and a black and gold gauntlet covering his entire left armor. The most startling thing Sora noticed was the star-shaped pendant hanging from his neck.

It looked exactly like one his mother owned, the only difference was the colors. The five points of the star on his were orange where his mother's were blue. And the strange pointed heart in the middle was gold as opposed to the silver of his mother's.

"Uh… I'm… Sora," the Prince gasped. He was too terrified of the Keyblade in this stranger's hand.

"Prince of Radiant Garden?" the man asked.

"Uh… yeah…"

"Get going."

The stranger suddenly pulled his Keyblade off and strode away.

"But you'd better not tell anyone I'm here."

"What's your problem?" Sora asked. "Anyone can come through this part of the forest. It's a free country, world, whatever." Sora reached down and picked up his pants before shoving his legs through.

"Free? Yeah right," the stranger scoffed. "I haven't been free in a long time. I've grown used to my exile and I've grown to like my privacy, hence why I'm a hermit."

"You have a Keyblade and you're a hermit?" Sora pulled his shirt back on.

"I'm a Keyblade Master, kid," the hermit said. "I was Eraqus's student years ago. Now, I live alone. And yes, I'm a hermit."

"Well, why don't you take students?"

"Do you need the term 'hermit' defined for you?" the stranger snapped. His cobalt eyes narrowed at Sora. "I want to be left alone. Ever since I…"

"Since what?" Sora asked.

Silence for a minute. When the man spoke again, it wasn't to answer Sora's question.

"My name is Terra," the man said, finally introducing himself.

"Terra, please take me as your student!" Sora begged. He hopped after Terra while trying to pull his shoes back on. Striker followed them at a slow pace.

"I'm not going to take a student. If Xehanort finds out you've come to me for lessons, he'll…" Terra hesitated.

"He'll what?" Sora's eyebrow quirked. "What'll my dad do?"

The Keyblade Master/hermit just growled under his breath. "Never you mind. Just go home. And please don't tell Xehanort I'm here."

Sora didn't want to go home. He wanted to know why a Keyblade Master would be so private. Not teaching students, just wasting his time living in the forest. And why did he not want Xehanort to know he was there?

An idea struck him.

"How about a deal?" Sora asked. He finally shoved on his other shoe.

"What kind of deal?" Terra turned to Sora with a cocked eyebrow.

"Listen, Master Eraqus is my teacher, and he's a great Master, but I don't know if he'll really care to teach me any longer. He seems to be trying so much harder with a friend of mine. It's kind of like I don't matter too much. They say it's just because I'm more gifted than most Keyblade wielders."

"That's probably just an excuse. And the real reason is because you're next in line for the throne," Terra suggested.

"Probably. But I want to train for a good long while. Please, take me as your student!"

Terra didn't answer Sora's plea. Instead, he looked the Prince up and down, sizing him up.

"Tell me, what is your mother's name?"

"My mom?"

"All I want to know is her name. You've talked so much about the elders of your family except your mother. Do you have any sisters? Or brothers?"

"Just a sister. My twin, Naminé," Sora responded. "And my mom's name is Aqua."

"Aqua…"

If Sora hadn't been looking Terra right in the eye, he would've missed the slight softening of his gaze. It was like relief had come at the sound of his mother's name.

"Well, what about your deal?"

"Oh!" Sora was so distracted by Terra's softening gaze, he almost forgot what he'd meant to say. "If you agree to teach me, I'll keep you a secret from my dad." Sora offered his hand for the hermit to shake.

"You have to keep me entirely secret. No one can know I'm here," Terra said. "Do you agree to my terms? If so, I'll make you my apprentice."

_Apprentice_. Sora had never been given this title by Eraqus. Riku didn't bear the title either. He simply referred to them as his _students_. Apprentice sounded more impressive, even if it was going to be secret.

"I accept," Sora responded. Terra reached out and grasped Sora's hand in a firm shake.

"Then, I have one small request for you, Sora."

"What?"

Terra summoned his Keyblade again. "Kneel," he instructed. Sora obeyed and Terra did the same. "This is the only way I feel I can truly make you my student. It's what Eraqus did for me years ago."

Sora cocked his head to one side, confused. Terra just held out the Keyblade's handle to him.

"In your hand, take this key," he said. "And if you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking… its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. Nothing in the world will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

Sora reached out and grasped the handle of Terra's Keyblade. He felt a strange warmth… Like all of Terra's feelings and emotions… all of them… were flowing into him.

He released the Keyblade after a full ten seconds of holding it. Terra dispersed it, but the Keyblade Master/hermit was smiling.

"Congratulations, Sora. I now welcome you as my student," Terra said.

"Alright!" Sora cheered.

"But remember, you tell anyone I'm out here, and I'll disappear for good. You'll no longer be my student."

"I promise, Master!"

"Very well. Your first lesson will be tomorrow at dawn. Come to my hut and be prepared."

"Yes, sir." Sora saluted. "But… where's your hut?"

"On second thought, come back to the river. I'll meet you there and I'll take you to my home from there. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan," Sora responded. "See you in the morning."

"Until then," Terra replied. Turning his back on his new apprentice, the Keyblade Master strode back into the woods without a sound.

Sora returned to Striker, mounting him just after pulling his gloves back on.

Though it would have to be secret, the Prince was excited that he would have another Keyblade Master to practice with. And he was even one of Eraqus's old students!

As Sora crossed the threshold into Radiant Garden, he could only wonder what it was that had gotten Terra into exile in the first place.

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**None of you guys other than Dani-Chan guessed who the new character was. Some of you thought it was Kairi's mom (or her grandma, who was never even mentioned) or Xehanort. All wrong. It was Terra.**

**Also, the name Striker was the best I could come up with. And yeah, that horse has a mind of its own. Trust me, they all do. One bit my sister once. He's the cockiest horse you will ever know.**

**And yes, I used Terra's weird speech. Why? I liked it in the game, that's why. But I had to modify it just slightly since they're not near the ocean.**

**What do you guys think?**


	4. Lesson

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**NOTE: Since Dani-Chan brought this up, Terra doesn't look like an actual, cranky, old hermit. He looks like he normally would, albeit older. (Picture that to your best extent because I can't.) So, he doesn't have a beard, he's got a clean shave. :P (I really can't picture him with a beard.)**

**Sorry to say, this chapter was put in last minute. So what I said in chapter two didn't come to pass. This wasn't the original chapter two, as you can tell. That chapter is next.**

**Chapter 4 – Lesson**

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As Terra had requested, Sora would keep his existence secret. Especially from Xehanort. This strange request still had Sora addled, he made a mental note to bug his new Master about it every lesson until he got an answer.

At the moment, he was riding out to the stream to meet Terra. He'd woken just before dawn, dressed, sneaked an apple from the kitchen, darted down to the stables, saddled up Striker, and they left, making sure no guards were watching them.

Striker rode up to the very same spot of the river where he'd met Terra the day before. The Keyblade Master was nowhere in sight, but his clothes and gauntlet were. They lay sprawled out next to a bar of soap and a towel.

His Keyblade Master was taking a bath in the river? Sora shook his head at the thought. Talk about exposure.

Sora dismounted and heard a splash. He turned to see Terra rising out of the river in a pair of black boxers. His hair lay matted against his head. Grasped in his hand was the orange star charm.

"Good morning, Sora," Terra said.

"Um… good morning…?" Sora replied, slightly addled by the sight of his Master in his underwear.

"Sorry to be bathing just as you got here, but I needed to get clean," Terra apologized. He waded over to Sora and grabbed the towel, drying his arms and torso off first.

"We're about to get all dirty, though," Sora said. "So, why take a bath?"

"While that's true, I like getting wet in the morning. Water… just helps me clear my head. Makes me… feel closer…"

"To what?"

"Someone I knew long ago… That I miss."

"Who?"

"It's…" Terra grabbed his black shirt and pulled it over his head. "Personal. I'd rather not talk about it, Sora."

"Master—"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Terra snapped. He reached for his pants and pulled them on over his still wet underwear, followed by a pair of socks and his boots. He pulled his gauntlet on last.

"Say, why do you wear that thing?" Sora asked, pointing at the armor glove.

"For protection," Terra answered. "And it has a hidden trick."

"Trick?"

"You see this button?" Terra pointed his right index finger at a gold circle about the size of Sora's own fist. The Prince nodded to indicate he noticed it. If I hit it, this small gauntlet will transform into a full body suit of armor."

Sora's eyes widened. "Whoa… Can I see?"

"When I teach you the importance of wielding it in combat. I'm not teaching you about something you're not ready to learn about. But I will teach you, in due time."

"Aw man," Sora groaned.

"Learn to be patient, Sora," Terra said. "It's a virtue." He toweled off his hair, making the spikes jut out in all directions.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"The last bit doesn't really have to do with anything, it's just something I used to hear as a kid. However, you will have to learn the importance of being patient. True Keyblade Masters know the importance of patience. Eraqus taught it to me years ago, you'll have to learn the same."

"Alright, well, what's our first lesson, then?" Sora asked.

Terra just turned his back to Sora and picked up the bar of soap on the ground.

"First," he said, "you're going to follow me to my hut. You'll go there from now on instead of here. But if you can't find me there in the morning, you can just come to the river. I'm normally there when I'm not in my hut."

"Got it," Sora said.

* * *

Terra's hut was really more of a cabin. Single-story, built entirely of wood with a chimney poking out of the side, and big enough to house two people easily. A single window was right next to the door.

Inside, the entrance showed a small kitchen and two side doors, one supposedly to a bathroom, and another to a bedroom. Sora could see a little light pouring through a window in the room off the kitchen.

There were two sofas in the room, just big enough for a single person to lie down on or two people to sit on. A table was in the middle, with a plate on it and some silverware, probably remnants of Terra's last meal.

"This place is big for just one person, Master, "Sora said.

"Well, this place is actually where Master Eraqus lived before I did. He gave it to me when I moved out here so I could get my privacy."

"Wait, I thought you said no one knew you were out here," Sora said.

"Eraqus is the only one," Terra explained. "I told him I needed to go somewhere when I left and he gave me the directions to this old house. He said he grew up here, and though it had been a while since he'd lived here at the time, I would find it in good shape for living."

"Was it dusty?"

"There's still dust in a bunch of places. The only places with no dust are the cabinets for food, some furniture, and my room." Terra headed into the room off the kitchen. His room, Sora guessed.

Sure enough, when Sora wiped his index finger across the fireplace mantle, a thick layer of dust covered it. He sneezed in response to the dust.

"Bless you," Terra called from his room. He came out a second later in dry clothes. The string of his star charm was being tucked into his pocket.

"Thanks," Sora sniffed. "Um… why would you put your wet clothes on if you were just going to change into dry—Never mind. I answered my own question."

"Yes. Yes, you did." Terra smirked.

"Well, anyway, let's get started!" Sora said.

"Right. Back outside. I'm not having you practice in my house only to break my things."

Sora rolled his eyes and followed Terra back outside. Back in nature, Sora took the time to notice the wide-open space the house was located in. Big enough to be a small fighting arena. He was used to this amount of space when Eraqus would mess with the amount of space in an area to limit his and Riku's movement abilities.

Terra walked past Sora and behind the house. Sora tried to follow, but the Keyblade Master/hermit held up a hand to stop him.

Terra returned from behind the house a minute later with three wooden training dummies. He stuck them into the ground, each six feet apart.

"Am I gonna practice with those?" Sora asked.

Terra nodded. "I want to see what you know so far. This is just an evaluation lesson."

"But I haven't even learned anything."

"From me, you haven't. You've been learning from Eraqus for… how long?"

Sora mentally slapped himself at realizing he never said how long he'd been Eraqus's student.

"Five years. Since I was ten," he replied. "That's when I got my Keyblade."

"I see." Terra scratched his chin in thought. "Then show me what you know. First, start off with your combat skills." He gestured to the wooden dummies. "Use these targets to practice on. Show me your speed and physical power. Fair to let you know, this is where I specialize. If you need improvement, I'll help you."

Sora set to work. He used several hacks and slashes, turning the dummies into splinters. He even showed Terra a trick Eraqus had taught him, to combine magic with a physical attack. He used one called Blizzard Edge, performing a jump and downward slash, then releasing the frozen power into the blade. The dummy was frozen wood.

"You know Edge attacks?" Terra asked.

"Yeah. Master Eraqus taught me about a month ago. I'm better than Riku at some stuff."

"Who's Riku?"

"My best friend. He's also a Keyblade wielder."

"You have to keep me secret from him, too."

"Yes, sir," Sora said. "I'm gonna keep quiet."

"Good. Now, get in your battle stance. I'm going to teach you some better balance techniques." He strode over as the Prince crouched and held his Keyblade out to the right.

"Are you right-handed?"

"Yes."

"Lucky for you, I am too, but you need to learn how to wield with both hands in case, say, you break your right arm. You need to be able to wield with both hands no matter what."

Sora nodded. "Yes, Master."

For the next half hour, Terra taught Sora how to fight left-handed. He had him reverse his battle stance, which took three tries for Sora to position himself just right. (Terra had seen the problems each and every time.)

Their main problem was, Sora also fought two-handed. If he had to go into one-handed slashes, he kept unintentionally switching it to his right hand. Terra fixed this by actually tying Sora's right hand behind his back, to stop the two-handed fighting and unintentional switches.

Two hours later, they were sweating and tired, and taking a food break. Sora had already wolfed down three apples and was working on some berries. Terra was taking his time with an apple of his own.

"Sora, come back here at the same time twice a week for your lessons with me," Terra said.

"Why only twice?" Sora inquired.

The Keyblade Master shook his head. "Didn't it occur to you that people might notice your early morning absences if you come too often?"

"Oh. Uh… no," Sora admitted sheepishly.

"Well, then do as I say. Twice a week at dawn."

"Any days in particular?"

"It doesn't matter to me. Just remember to come to this house and you'll find me. If I'm not here, I'll be at the river. Just wait for me here."

"Okay."

* * *

By the end of the morning, when Terra told Sora it would be time to leave, he'd learned quite a bit about balance. He promised Terra he would come back in two days and would practice in the mean time.

As he rode away on Striker, Sora thought, _'I'll be a great Keyblade Master yet.'_

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**What'd you guys think? Sorry to be lame, but there won't be many lesson chapters. And sorry this was a short lesson. I'm bad at stuff like this. I don't know how training works for Keyblade wielders, seeing as I'm not one.**

**Also, the star charm will be called a 'Wayfinder' at one point. Sora just does not know that's what they are called yet.**

**And another note, the next two chapters focus around Aqua.**


	5. Longing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**NOTE: I must apologize to you readers for having to read what is now chapter four to delay this. Here you go, the original chapter two.**

**Chapter 5 – Longing**

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In Naminé's tower room, with a view of the courtyard and the gardens beyond, she and her mother sat together.

Naminé was painting quietly on an easel. She wore a white smock spattered with paint and an occasional spatter of marker when she wiped her hands on it rather than a towel after washing the mess off her hands. She scanned the table next to her easel and found her thick brush and put the thin one she previously held in a cup of murky paint water. The red paint she'd just used swirled to the top as the Princess dipped the thicker brush in green paint and put the brush to her masterpiece.

At Naminé's window, her mother stared out the window, looking into the gardens. Her watery-blue eyes looked downcast as she sighed wistfully at the thoughts flowers brought into her mind.

Princess Aqua had been a minor noble of Radiant Garden's daughter before meeting _him_. Her first and only love. When she was sixteen, she'd been brought to Hollow Bastion to marry the then-King-to-be, Xehanort.

Fate had had other plans.

Her first day at the court, Aqua had been introduced to Ansem the Wise and Xehanort, her betrothed. Xehanort had instantly taken a liking to her. The water maiden hadn't been thrilled, but all the same, she at least tried to be pleasant.

A day later, Aqua had met Xehanort's brother, the second Prince, in the flower garden. At that moment, she knew something had sparked between them.

During her time at Hollow Bastion, the (then) water maiden and the Prince had fallen deeply in love. But their romance had attracted Xehanort's jealousy. After learning this, they'd been more secretive, but Xehanort had found out Aqua slept with her lover one night and his jealousy went to its limits.

As much as Aqua would've rather been married to her true love, politics had intervened. And by politics, the word 'threats' should actually be used. Aqua's former love had been threatened with death if he didn't leave Aqua so she would marry Xehanort. Aqua didn't want her loved one to die, but she also didn't want him to leave her. Only after an argument with each other and a mental battle with herself did Aqua consent. After a final week together, the Prince left with the promise that he would always love her, and she promised the same to him.

Xehanort had forced Aqua into the marriage after her true love's departure. (The marriage had made her a Princess.) And she'd only shared his bed the first night of their marriage, as the law required.

Aqua did whatever she could to show Xehanort how much she hated him. Whenever Xehanort said, "I love you," to her, the Water Princess would turn away and reply, "I hate you." If he ever tried to kiss her, she'd turn her face at the last second so it only touched her cheek. When he pulled back, she'd scowl and hurry away.

She also had stranger ways of showing Xehanort her hatred. Aqua would also never take anything he attempted to hand to her. She'd make sure someone else had held it before she'd take it. Normally it was Sora.

To some, it appeared as if Aqua loved her son more than her daughter. This wasn't true. Her children were the only reason she stayed at the court now.

Before realizing she was carrying them in her womb, Aqua had thought up several escape attempts, even tried them a few times, but she was always caught. Shortly before discovering her babies' existence, Xehanort had assigned Aqua to be guarded whenever she left her room and she'd stopped trying. It was no use trying to escape with two babies on the way.

When the twins were born, Aqua had been shocked and somewhat relieved when she saw Sora. Her son looked like _him_. Her true love had managed to leave a part of himself with her. It had brought tears of joy to her eyes.

"Mom, will you come here?"

Naminé's voice snapped Aqua out of her thoughts. The young Princess was grinning as she wiped her hand across her forehead, wiping some blue paint off but leaving a trail of purple in its place. Aqua smiled.

"What is it, honey?" Aqua approached her daughter, her long blue dress and detached white sleeves swirling around her as she gracefully moved.

"It's a flower!" Naminé exclaimed, showing the canvas to Aqua. The answer to Aqua's question was apparently that Naminé wanted to show her picture.

It was indeed a flower. A rose with many different colored petals. All seven colors of the rainbow and more were visible in it.

"It's beautiful, Naminé," Aqua replied.

"Do you think Daddy will like it?"

Aqua flinched at the word 'Daddy'. Naminé was as sweet as could be, even to Xehanort, but the man had never shown too much interest in her. Not even when she'd painted or drawn pictures especially for him. He'd kept more of an eye on Sora. Aqua figured it was because Xehanort knew the boy wasn't his child.

"I'm sure he will, Naminé." The blue-haired Princess went over to a bowl of clean water and a small towel and set them down on the table with her daughter's paints.

"But he never really pays me any attention, even when you assure me of that, Mom." Naminé sighed. Aqua dunked the towel in the bowl and began to wipe paint off Naminé's face.

"I know. Xehanort isn't exactly one to pay much attention to someone else's feelings." The mother let out a small growl at the mention of her husband.

"But he pays plenty of attention to Sora!" Water and paint dripped off Naminé's face and onto her smock, splattering it with blue, orange, and purple. "And all he ever really does is pay attention to you and Sora. Why never me?"

"He's been interested in you, Naminé," Aqua assured.

"Operative word: _been_," Naminé countered.

"I know. I'm sorry, Naminé."

With her skin clear of paint, Naminé pulled off her smock, revealing her clean dress underneath, and hugged her mother. Aqua kissed her daughter's forehead and stroked her pale blonde hair.

"I'll go find your father and talk to him," Aqua said.

"But…" Naminé looked into her mother's oceanic eyes.

"If I have to _make_ him show interest, I will," Aqua said.

"He has to be really interested, Mom."

"I'll talk to him about it. He'll listen to me, I know."

Naminé gave her mother a tiny smile as she pulled away. The young princess turned back to her art supplies and began to put them away. Aqua took the picture from the easel.

Stepping away, Aqua lost herself in her thoughts of that mess from fifteen years ago again. All because she'd fallen in love and Xehanort couldn't stand the one she loved. He was jealous it hadn't been him.

"I wish you were here…" Aqua whispered as she left her daughter's room.

Little did she know, Naminé had heard her faint whisper.

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**Now you know about Aqua's part, with more details than Kairi provided. I wasn't very clear on certain things like who her old lover was because it needs to stay secret. But I dropped enough hints to let you know who she loves. In the first few chapters too.**

**And yes, I wanted Naminé to paint! Why she did a flower, well… you've seen her drawings. And it was the best thing I could think of.**

**Please tell me what you think. Reader opinions mean a lot!**


	6. Sadness

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 6 – Sadness**

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Aqua made her way down to Ansem's labs. Her husband could usually be found there with his father. She still had Naminé's picture in her hand, it _was_ the primary reason she was even looking for Xehanort in the first place. Normally, she avoided him as much as possible.

She passed Ansem's lab assistant, Even, on her way down. He had straw-colored hair and green eyes that looked like they would glow in the dark. The thought of that unnerved Aqua. He directed her to Lab 3, where Ansem and Xehanort currently were.

Inside Lab 3, they were analyzing a tank with blue hearts floating inside. Bubbling from test tubes, beakers, and tanks could be heard all around.

Aqua cleared her throat. Xehanort turned to her, smiling when he saw her. Aqua rolled her eyes. Ansem the Wise didn't show any sign of acknowledgement.

Xehanort had hair whiter than snow, mid-back length and slightly spiked with two bangs framing his face. His eyes were brown as chocolate, without the warming effects of it. He wore a white lab coat that trailed down to his shins, exposing a pair of black boots, his pants were also black, and tucked into his boots.

"Aqua, do you need something?" Xehanort asked.

The Princess diverted her attention to the picture in her hand. "Naminé wanted me to talk to you about something." Her skin erupted in goose bumps when she felt Xehanort put his arm around her and move to kiss her cheek. Aqua pulled herself free.

"Why must you be so stubborn with me?" Xehanort asked exasperatedly.

"You know why I do this to you," the Princess replied. "You took away the only one I ever loved." She turned to look at him with a glare. Xehanort simply sighed.

"Well, what was the real reason you're down here, then? Something about Naminé?"

"Yes, she'd like you to pay a little more attention to her. She's noticed how you do so much with trying to please me and how much attention you've given Sora. Naminé also made this for you." Aqua held up the picture.

"A flower?"

"She often paints things like that. But you wouldn't know that since you don't pay her any attention, Xehanort."

The King didn't answer.

"You play the charade of a father. You need to give her more attention."

Xehanort bent closer to his wife's ear and whispered, "I love you, but you don't return my feelings. This is why I hope you'll change your mind. As for Sora, he's a… concern of mine."

"Concern?"

"I'm concerned with what you've probably told him."

"Neither of them know a thing about the past, Xehanort. Of that, I assure you. But we're only discussing _Naminé_. You need to show her some affection. She feels deprived of fatherly affection. Unlike you, who only has affection for a wife who doesn't love him, I love my children equally and give them the love they need. I may be your wife, but you'll never truly have me. I've told you this before, Xehanort."

Xehanort considered her words, cupping her face gently as he leaned in. Aqua tried to fight, but Xehanort's lips were on hers before she could fight back. The Princess didn't like it. Her husband pushed his tongue against her lips, but Aqua kept her mouth clamped shut.

Xehanort pulled away when their struggle became futile. The King had been putting up with his Princess's antics for years, growing increasingly tired of it and the bitter aura she sent at him.

Her love had been won long ago by someone else. Xehanort would never be loved by her in that way.

"Very well," he said after a minute. "I'll make sure to give Naminé some attention."

"I didn't go through all this suffering to make my child suffer around you as I have," Aqua retorted.

Xehanort stepped away and headed for the door, Naminé's picture in his hands.

"See you at dinner," he said.

"Until then," Aqua said with fake enthusiasm. The King of Radiant Garden shut the door to Lab 3 behind him, leaving his wife and father alone.

She watched Xehanort go. Glad he would give Naminé some attention, but still not thrilled she was married to him. How she longed to see her true love again…

"I can tell that you miss him, my dear," Ansem said.

"Say what?" Aqua turned to her father-in-law. He still had his back to her and he was still jotting notes down on a clipboard.

"You miss my other son, don't you?"

"I wish he was here…" Aqua sighed. "I want to see him, talk to him, hold him in my arms again like we did fifteen years ago." She lost herself in the memories of a happier time.

* * *

_In the gardens, Aqua walked hand-in-hand with her lover. He smiled at her and bent down to pluck a very pink rose from one of the bushes before putting it in her hair. He was careful of the thorns, not wanting to scratch the maiden he loved._

_Aqua fingered the delicate petals of the rose as her lover pecked her cheek._

_"I love you," he said to her._

_"I love you, too," Aqua replied._

_She took his face in her hands and kissed him sweetly as his hand bumped her necklace, a blue, star-shaped pendant._

_"What is that?" he asked._

_"It's called a Wayfinder," the water maiden explained. "They say that as long as you and someone important to you carry these charms, nothing will ever drive you apart. You'll always be connected."_

* * *

The memories were painful yet so happy. Painful because Aqua was not with her true love anymore. Happy because the memories were how she'd calm herself when she was sad. She'd pretend his arms were wrapped around her in a tender embrace and he had one hand cupping her cheek, rubbing it gently, as he leaned in to kiss her.

A ghost of his embrace caressed her as she turned her attention back to Ansem.

"My dear, Xehanort never understood how important his brother was to you," Ansem said. He now stood next to the Princess with his hand on her shoulder. He wore a light purple lab coat, dress shirt, necktie, a deep red scarf, and similar pants and boots to his son. His eyes were a strange orange color, which slightly unnerved Aqua when she looked into them. His pale blonde hair was evenly trimmed around his ears.

The old sage's amber eyes softened. "I know you still love him. I wish to believe he could tell you the same. But alas, I don't know where he is. His exile has been long."

"Fifteen years," Aqua sighed. "I wish I knew where he was. I want to see him, even if just one more time. Hold him, tell him I've loved him more and more every day since he left. I miss him so much."

"Princess, maybe the time for just waiting has passed. You must take action."

"Action never worked. Even after I stopped trying to escape, Xehanort still has me accompanied by a guard when I leave the castle. Even when I just go to see my parents." Aqua shook her head at the King's immaturity. "All I can do is wait."

"He believes you'll try and leave to find his brother," Ansem replied. "The fact that you don't show him any affection and continued to love my other son has made Xehanort quite bitter. He has always cared for you, but you never returned those feelings. Someone else took your affection before he ever had the chance."

"And I'll never stop," Aqua declared. "I will love only the one who made me feel truly happy. I gave my heart to him, Wise Ansem. I wish he were still here."

"I believe he promised you he would come back. He would love you always."

Ansem patted his daughter-in-law on the shoulder. She looked up at him, her watery orbs staring at his molten orange eyes.

"My son was never one to break his word. Clearly, you are the same, Aqua. Especially in this matter. He will be out there thinking about you everyday and night, wishing he could hold you close, as you wish he would."

Aqua wiped away the tear she just noticed was forming at the corner of her eye.

"Thank you," she whispered. "My waiting has gone on too long. I'd go look for him, but I don't know where he is."

"If I know my son, my dear, he won't have gone far," Ansem said. "Anything to stay close to you, even if you had to be separate. He'd never go too far."

"Do you mean he'd stay close to Radiant Garden?"

"Most likely," Ansem replied. "My sons are oh so different. Xehanort is so confident that he will get anything he wants simply because he is King. His brother saw the value of hard work and strove for that to get what he wanted in life."

"That was one of the many things I loved about him," Aqua said. "He was so kind and strong. So gentle, even in battle, where he had to be tough."

Ansem chuckled. "He loved you for many similar reasons, even when you were clumsy when you first learned to wield a Keyblade."

"He wasn't as good at magic, but he taught me swordsmanship."

Her face brightened up at the thought of his handsome smile, always happy to see her.

"I still remember his sad smile when he left." Aqua's smile turned into a frown as she clutched at her Wayfinder necklace. Shaped like a star, blue glass pieces, with a silver heart-shaped token in the middle. He had one just like it, her final gift to him as well as a parting kiss.

"He will come back to you, Aqua," Ansem promised. "To you and your children. And you'll be a proper family."

"I hope you're right, Wise Ansem," Aqua said, the Wayfinder's points digging into her delicate skin. "I really hope you're right."

Aqua and Ansem were so wrapped up in their discussion, they failed to notice a pair of bright blue eyes watching them through a crack in the door.

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**We'll be getting back to Sora in the next chapter. I just really wanted to show you guys how Xehanort and Aqua's relationship worked.**

**Anything you guys liked or hated?**


	7. Request

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**NOTE: Time skip a few weeks later.**

**Chapter 7 – Request**

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Weeks had passed since Sora met Terra and he was improving remarkably.

Eraqus would always tell him how important certain postures were, or how to always watch for an enemy's position and find a weak point.

Terra said much the same, but he was different in his approach. He actually helped Sora reposition himself and would point out certain enemies' weak spots. Eraqus had always told Sora to look and analyze for himself, he'd always had difficulty with it and Riku was the expert.

Sora's first few lessons with his new Master had just been improvement on where he already was. Terra had spent half their second lesson telling Sora to be aware of his own movements while at the same time watching his opponent.

After three lessons of non-stop begging at the end, Terra had finally shown Sora the armor he kept stashed in the gauntlet on his arm.

It was a full-body suit of gold, red, and brown armor. The prongs and pointed black visor on the helmet gave Terra the appearance of a wolf. The specific purpose of the armor was combat with dangerous enemies, but it was also great protection from Darkness.

He planned to explain that when teaching Sora how the armor was made.

Much to Sora's chagrin, Terra still said he wasn't ready to wear a suit of armor yet, but he did give him a shoulder pad that could carry armor.

Like his presence in the glade, Terra had asked Sora to hide the shoulder pad as well.

Sora always put it in the backpack he carried when he was leaving lessons. Once back in his room, he'd stash it behind a loose stone that formed a cubbyhole in the wall. He'd replace the stone tile and it looked like it had never moved.

Only four people actually noticed Sora's absences, that he knew about. His mother had found out first. Sora would claim he just liked going out to the river for a swim. Aqua simply shrugged the matter off, muttering that she hoped Xehanort wouldn't notice.

The second person to really care to notice was a stable boy named Ventus, a friend of his who had a crush on Naminé that only Sora knew about. He'd noticed only because Striker was getting tired from all the riding.

Sora gave Ven the river excuse as well, but the stable boy was suspicious. He'd mostly taken note of Sora's dry clothes. The next few times he went to see Terra, Sora took a dip in the river before leaving. The Keyblade Master had been highly amused by this.

The third person to notice was Naminé herself. She was out in the stable, brushing her own horse's mane, around the time Sora had come back one day. Like Ven, she'd mostly been concerned about Striker's apparent tiredness, Sora told her that he just really liked horseback riding.

When she asked about saddle sores, Sora said he used magic to heal them. The only truthful thing he told anyone.

The fourth person to notice had been Ansem the Wise. He hadn't actually _noticed_ Sora's absences, Aqua had told him when deciding to ask him if he knew. Ansem had decided to ask Sora himself. Sora had constantly tried to change the subject. Ansem would shake his head at his grandson's antics.

Sora kept the secret well. Terra saw that for certain.

* * *

"Master, why are you even out here?" Sora asked. He'd done this every lesson since he became Terra's apprentice.

"For the hundredth time, Sora, I'm not going to tell you," was always Terra's answer, as it was just now.

The horses were chomping on grass nearby. For that morning's lesson, Terra had brought out his horse, Gaia, who was female, for their lesson. Terra said he preferred riding a Keyblade Glider, a magical transformation of the Keyblade into a full-sized vehicle, but horseback riding was a valuable skill for combat. And Terra had yet to teach Sora about Keyblade Gliders. They wouldn't be doing that for quite a while. Or at least until Eraqus mentioned them in Sora's lessons back in Radiant Garden.

Until Gliders were brought into lessons, Gaia and Striker would be used.

"Master, do you think I could bring my sister to meet you?" Sora asked as they took a break.

"Naminé?" Terra inquired.

"Yeah, I think you'd like her. She's not a Keyblade wielder, and I know you told me to keep you a secret, but I swear she can keep it too!" Sora said. "I'll tell her you need to stay secret. I swear!"

"You can stop swearing, Sora," Terra said. He scratched his chin. "Tell you what, I'll think about it as we continue the lesson. If you do well enough, I'll consider letting your sister come meet me."

"Yes, Master!" Sora saluted and returned to his training.

* * *

"That's all for today, Sora," Terra said. "You should get home before your parents notice you're gone again."

The sun had reached its high-noon point, Terra would either tell Sora to go home around this time or an hour past or before.

"Yes, Master, Era—I mean—Terra," Sora replied.

"You almost called me 'Eraqus'?" Terra guessed.

"Uh… Slip of the tongue, I guess"

"It's no big deal. He was my teacher. Almost like a second father to me, really."

A thought occurred to Sora. Eraqus had mentioned that he'd lost a student because that man had fallen in love

"Master, I actually have a question before I go," Sora said.

"Yes?"

"Master Eraqus told me he lost a student because he fell in love with someone. Was that student… you?"

Terra was silent. He reached into his pocket and grasped what Sora knew to be his star charm.

"Yes, Sora. That's why I left."

"Well, what happened?"

"For the second time today, I'm not telling you."

"Okay!" Sora raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry." Terra's response clearly meant it was something to do with his exile.

The Keyblade Master sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just… sensitive… about it. It really left a mark on me that I wish I could heal. But time isn't something that will heal this wound. Only one thing can…"

"What would that one thing be?"

"A reunion. With the girl I love."

"Did you marry her?"

"That's just it, Sora. I couldn't marry her."

"Why not?"

Terra was silent for a moment. The Prince swore he saw a tear slide down the Keyblade Master's cheek.

"It's a private reason," he quietly answered. "Sora, if you want, you may bring your sister to meet me during your next lesson. On the condition that—"

"That I tell her to keep you a secret." Sora had been surprised by the sudden permission to bring Naminé next time, but Terra clearly didn't want to talk anymore. "Yes, Master. Naminé's good at keeping secrets. You don't have anything to worry about."

Sora mounted Striker and nudged him forward.

"I hope you're right," Terra muttered as his student rode away, letting more tears slide down his face as he strode over to the river, wanting to clear his head.

* * *

Striker trotted into the stables tiredly. The visits to Terra were starting to annoy the horse. Sora thought it would only get worse when he brought Naminé to meet the Keyblade Master.

Just after to his departure, Sora took his visit to the river and had come into the stable dripping wet.

"Hi, Sora!" a voice said.

The Prince turned to see the stable boy, Ventus.

"Hey, Ven." Sora jumped off his horse and started to de-tack him.

"Where do you keep going?"

"The river."

"Sora, I know that's not true. I think you just go there to get wet and make others believe you've been to the river when you come home."

Sora's eyes bulged. Ven was figuring it out!

"Well, wherever you go, you need to take another horse for about a week."

"What? Why?"

Ven was filling Striker's feed bucket. Oats and hay mixed with some carrots, Striker's favorite meal.

"He's exhausted from all this riding. You need to let him rest."

"Oh…" Sora scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"Sora, look, if it's a private thing, you can tell me that," Ven said. "I'll understand and I won't pry."

"Well, it kind of is, Ven," Sora said.

"I knew it!" Ven jabbed a finger under Sora's nose.

"Look, it's a total secret. You especially can't let my dad find out!"

"Why not?"

"Private matters!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez, can't blame me for trying, can you?" Ven chuckled.

Sora laughed in return and punched Ven's upper left arm. "No, I can't. But I have a question for you too. Have you seen Naminé?"

"I haven't been out of the barn all day. Don't know where she is."

"I'll go find her myself, then!"

Sora charged out of the barn, leaving Striker in Ven's care.

"You might wanna put on some dry clothes, first!" Ven called to Sora's back.

* * *

**Okay, now Sora has to convince Naminé to come. Terra wasn't the only one, of course. But I feel so bad I made him get sad. Anyone wanna throw him some hankies?**

**For those who don't know, de-tack refers to taking off the horse's riding gear.**

**Tell me what you guys think, please?**

**By the way, why is it that the most reviews are always given in the first few chapters? Someone care to explain that?**


	8. Naminé's Discovery

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 8 – Naminé's Discovery**

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"So, Sis, you up for it?"

"Sora… I don't know. Why haven't you even gotten in trouble with Eraqus or Dad for learning from some Keyblade Master you just met in the woods?

In Naminé's bedroom, just past eleven o'clock, Sora was sitting with his sister, offering her the chance to meet Terra. Naminé cuddled a stuffed Moogle as her brother told her about the Keyblade Master/hermit.

"Because no one else knows what I've been up to other than you," Sora confessed. "I only just asked him today if I could bring another person to meet him."

"Sora, I don't know…"

"Naminé, he'd really like to meet you. He's been alone for… I-don't-know-how-long. It seems like he could really use some company."

"Why is he even out there? So close to the city, why doesn't he just move into Radiant Garden?"

"He won't tell me. Every time I've asked, Terra refuses to answer. Well, really, he says that he likes his privacy. That's as close to an answer as I've ever gotten with him. We even discussed it the day I met him. Terra's not giving answers up easily."

Naminé had to admit, Sora's offer was tempting. She was particularly interested by Terra's exile, wondering what the reason was and why he didn't want Xehanort to know about him. All Sora knew was that he'd left after falling in love with someone and it didn't work out somehow. Sora assumed this, anyway.

It almost sounded like…

"Okay! I'll go!" Naminé decided happily.

"Really?"

"Yeah! If you think he could use some company, I'd be happy to offer it!" Half-truth. "And I'd like to draw some scenery out there."

"Okay, but Dad can't know anything about him, or anyone else!"

"Got it! Now…"

"Hmmm?"

"Can I go to sleep, Sora?" the Princess begged. "If we have to get up at dawn, I'd like some rest."

"Okay, okay. I'm going," Sora laughed.

He crawled off his sister's bed and left the room. With the door shut and her brother gone, Naminé remembered eavesdropping on her mother and grandfather's whispered conversation about her mysterious uncle. Her mother's true love.

That same day, as Aqua left her room with the flower picture for Xehanort, the Mother-Princess had whispered, _"I wish you were here…"_

She clearly still missed this man. Reuniting her with him might take all her misery away. She'd be happy knowing he was still out there. Waiting for her.

This mysterious Terra… He fell into a similar situation. He hated Xehanort (Sora never openly said this, but it was implied), wanted nothing to do with the King, and he'd been deprived of someone he loved. Sora didn't have any details on the last bit, but he'd said enough to fuel Naminé's theories.

The biggest clue was that Sora said he had a star charm like their mother. Differently colored, but Aqua had reminded Ansem in their private conversation that she'd given her lover a Wayfinder before his departure.

Thoughts roaring like the ocean, Naminé fell asleep still cuddling her Moogle.

* * *

The next morning, Sora and Naminé snuck down to the stables and saddled up Naminé's horse, Snow, named for her pure white coat. The Princess had insisted on taking her horse because of Striker's fatigue. She'd been glad to take Snow out to stretch her legs.

Opposed to her normal white dress, Naminé was dressed in a white blouse, brown riding pants, and black boots.

Snow was fully bridled fifteen minutes later, her bridle coming on last since she was eating while they added the saddle dressings.

"You think Snow will trust me to guide her to Terra's?" Sora asked as he fixed the saddle in place.

"She trusts _you_," Naminé said. "It's unfamiliar territory she doesn't trust."

"That's what I mean," Sora said. He grabbed Naminé's saddlebags, which she'd filled with food and water. Her sketchpad and colored pencils were also stowed in one of them.

"Well, it depends," Naminé added. "Maybe I've been in the area where Terra lives."

"We'll see in a few minutes, then, won't we?" Sora finished attaching the saddlebags and led Snow out of the stable before hoisting himself onto the horse. He pulled Naminé up behind him and she grabbed his waist.

"Let's go!" Sora nudged Snow's sides and she trotted towards the gates and through Radiant Garden's streets.

* * *

They reached the glade with ease. Snow didn't fidget too much in unfamiliar territory, which she normally did, but Naminé soothed her whenever she got nervous.

"There it is!" Sora pointed eagerly at Terra's house. A plume of smoke was rising from the chimney stuck to the side of it.

"Master!" Sora called out as he and Naminé hopped down. His sister started pulling out her drawing supplies.

Terra's head appeared in the window and he saw the twins, waving lightly at the sight of them.

"I kind of wish you didn't choose today to come, Sora." The Keyblade Master strode out of his home rubbing very red eyes.

"Master, is something wrong?" Sora asked.

Terra's eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying. He also looked very tired, like he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

"If you want, we can come back another time," Naminé offered.

"No, no," Terra insisted, ceasing in his rubbing. "You're already here, but give me a bit. I'd like to eat before the lesson starts."

"I'll just warm up a little, then," Sora said.

Naminé followed the Keyblade Master into his house, taking in the aspects of this humble little place.

"So, you're Naminé," Terra mused. He was at the stove, tending to some eggs.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Naminé said.

"You can call me Terra," he laughed.

"What's funny?"

"You're not really like your brother," Terra said, scooping his eggs onto a plate and grabbing a glass from the side counter.

"Yeah, Sora and I are really close, but we have our differences," Naminé said. She flipped past her pages with drawings on them and to the next blank page. She pulled a blue colored pencil out and started drawing.

"What are you drawing?" the Keyblade Master asked around a mouthful of egg.

"Just this necklace my… mom…" Naminé's eyes widened at the sight of the orange star-shaped necklace on the table.

Sora was right about it.

"My mom has a necklace just like that." She pointed at Terra's charm with her pencil.

He saw what she was pointing at and smiled.

"It's called a Wayfinder," he explained. "Did she tell you that?" He finished the last of his eggs and gulped down his water.

"No. I've never heard that term. Mom's never told us why she has it."

"It's said to connect any people who carry them. This one's very special to me."

"How come?"

Terra was about to explain, but he was interrupted by Sora.

"Master, are you ready yet?" the Prince called from outside.

"Your brother seems to need me, Princess," Terra said. "We'll talk later."

The Keyblade Master put his plate on the table and pocketed the Wayfinder before getting up to start Sora's lesson. The Princess followed after, gathering up her drawing supplies as she went.

* * *

At the end of the lesson, Naminé pulled Terra aside for a quick talk. Sora had taken Snow to the river for a quick drink before their ride back to Radiant Garden.

"Master Terra?"

"Yes, Namine?" he asked.

"Listen, I know you like your privacy…"

"But…?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to meet our mother," Naminé said sweetly, making her eyes plead and beg like she'd never done before.

Terra's eyes widened ever so slightly at this idea and he mulled it over in his head. The Princess watched him, knowing he wanted to say 'yes'.

"If you bring your mother out here, your father is only going to follow," Terra answered after two minutes of quiet thinking. "Your father might be noticing Sora's absences. With your mother coming, he might get more suspicious. I heard he makes her go everywhere with a guard."

Naminé could see Terra's point. Sora had explained Terra's preference for privacy. Aqua's required guard would only put him in danger, especially since it seemed like Xehanort was the one he was hiding from.

"I swear, she won't tell anyone," the Princess said. "I'll explain the situation to her and—"

"You can bring her," Terra said.

"—she'll… What?"

"You can bring your mother."

"You agreed that easily?" Naminé was confused. "Sora said he had to beg for five minutes and you just give me the 'okay' to bring our mom?"

"Naminé, I trust your judgment on this," Terra said. "And I trusted Sora's. That's why I let him bring you here. I trust you too."

Naminé broke into a broad smile, glad she was able to convince this man so easily. What she was trying to do would probably make him happier than he'd been in years.

Sora returned a minute later with Snow in tow. As the twins rode away from Terra's glade, Naminé looked back and she swore she saw Terra wink at her. The Princess nodded and smiled back at him.

Naminé had seen all she needed to see.

She had to get her mother to meet with Terra.

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**Devious little princess, aren't you, Naminé?**

**Chapter nine is the 'convince Aqua' chapter. Try to be patient for it please? Lots of school work is coming up before the holidays, but this story will be finished by the end of the year, possibly December, as I'm not sure what our family plans are.**

**Also, I'd like to explain why Ven is in here. Whenever I write a story with Terra and Aqua in it, Ven just needs to be there too. I've done it in just about all my stories about them, except 'Unexpected Love', where Ven was only mentioned.**


	9. Persuasion and Rose Petals

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 9 – Persuasion and Rose Petals**

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Like the night before, the twins were meeting in private. This time, in Sora's room. Naminé had come to her brother with an idea.

"You want to _what_ now?" Sora asked.

"Bring Mom to meet Terra," Naminé repeated.f

"She's the closest person to Dad, Naminé," Sora protested. "She might expose him."

"I don't think she would. You know how much she hates him."

"Yeah, but not _why_ she hates him."

"Well…"

"Naminé, just accept it, you can't make a real point about why we should take Mom to meet my Master. Admit it!"

This wasn't true. Naminé had all her reasons in line. She just didn't want to share them with Sora.

"Well… I actually asked Terra and he said it was okay.

Sora's jaw dropped.

"What? Why?"

"I want Mom to take a look at his Wayfinder!" the Princess blurted. Naminé hated lying, but she wanted to help Terra and her mother…

This little white lie could be the only way to convince Sora without him figuring out his sister's real intentions.

"Maybe… if she takes a look at his Wayfinder… she can… help him find the one who gave it to him. The lady he loved."

Sora was lost. The blank look on his face said it all. "Wayfinder?"

"The star-shaped charm," Naminé explained. "Terra told me what it was called."

He clearly wasn't getting it.

"That's weird, Naminé."

"Maybe, but he seems so sad. I'd like to see him happy."

When she put it that way, Sora saw Naminé's point. The Keyblade Master was quite sad most days. His mind and gaze were focused on the lesson, but his heart just wasn't in it.

Something had happened to Terra to cause this depression. Bringing Naminé seemed to ease him slightly. Maybe he just needed to open up to others.

This _had_ to be Naminé's goal.

"Okay, we'll bring Mom, then," Sora agreed.

"Really?"

"Yeah, if it's to make him happy, then I'm in!"

Naminé bounced happily on the bed, almost squeezing the stuffing out of her Moogle doll.

"Okay, I'll tell Mom in the morning," she declared.

"Sounds good." Sora yawned and lay back on his pillows, pulling his covers up to his chin. "Now for some shut-eye. I'm tied!"

Naminé crawled off Sora's bed and returned to her own room, giggling. Her plan could actually be working!

As Sora fell asleep, he couldn't believe Naminé had worked her magic persuasiveness on him.

"Sisters are evil," he muttered.

* * *

The next morning, Naminé scoured Hollow Bastion for her mother. Normally, she could be found in her room reading a book, or the library, or sometimes even watching Sora train with Master Eraqus.

She was in none of those places.

Master Eraqus said he hadn't seen her since breakfast. Grandpa Ansem had eaten breakfast in the kitchen and gone straight to the labs, where Naminé had found him, but he hadn't seen Aqua. Sora hadn't seen her either. He was out practicing with Riku in the courtyard.

Finally, she came across her father on his way down to the labs.

"Daddy!" she called, running up to him. Xehanort turned and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Naminé," he said, hugging her when she threw her arms around his waist.

"Have you seen Mom?"

"Not since breakfast, no," her father replied. "Speaking of which, why weren't you or Sora there?"

"Sora wasn't there either?"

"No."

Naminé let out a hasty giggle. "I guess he slept in, too." It was true Naminé had slept in. She'd done quite a bit of giggling before falling asleep the previous night. She'd slept right through breakfast. "I had a little trouble getting to sleep, so I went to talk to Sora and it helped us both a little, I guess."

"And just what were you two talking about?"

"Twin stuff."

"Oh… Well, where have you searched for your mother?"

"Everywhere! She's nowhere in the castle."

"Have you tried the gardens? If she's not in the castle, she's normally there."

Naminé nodded and thanked her father before charging to the nearest outdoor exit. Xehanort resumed his trek down to the labs to assist his father in a new experiment.

* * *

Sure enough, as Xehanort had said, Aqua was out in the gardens. She was dressed in a floaty blue sundress. Her feet were bare and soaking in the cool fountain water. She plucked the petals from a red rose and let them gently drift on the surface. More roses sat in her lap.

Three thorny stems and hundreds of white, red, and pink petals floated in the water. Aqua had apparently been plucking for quite a while.

"Mom!" Naminé called out. Aqua turned her head at the sound of her name.

"Hello, Naminé." She smiled sadly before returning her attention to petal-plucking.

Naminé sat down beside her mother and pulled off her sandals before sticking them in the water too. The coolness really soothed her feet after running everywhere all day. The petals drifting over tickled her toes.

Aqua tore off more petals from the rose half-heartedly. She tossed the now bare stem into the water, where it joined the others and picked up a white rose and began to pluck it bare too.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just… thinking."

"About?"

"Something that happened before you were born," the water lady replied. "Something sad…"

At the word 'sad', Naminé took a closer look at her mother. Her eyes were red and puffy. A few of the roses in her lap had water drops on them.

Naminé figured they weren't dewdrops. She wrapped her arms around her mother. "Mommy…"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, Naminé," Aqua claimed.

Her daughter put her hands on her hips. "No, you're not," her daughter scolded. "Please tell me, Mom. I wanna know what's wrong."

"I can't talk about it, Naminé." Aqua wiped her eyes. "I just _can't_."

She'd stopped crying, but the sadness in her eyes was stronger than ever. The next few minutes passed in silence, Naminé finally having dropped the subject of her mother's crying, before they started up a new conversation. Aqua continued plucking the petals from her rose.

"Why do you torture flowers?" Naminé gestured to the petals.

"Old habit." She dropped a single petal this time. "I actually picked up this habit on this very day fifteen years ago… When…"

Aqua dropped another handful of rose petals into the water. "What did you want to see me for, anyway?" she asked. Her voice was free of sadness, curiosity taking its place.

Her rose was now bare, only the green thorny stem remained, with the yellow part at the top exposed. She tossed it at the fountain statue, which was simply four individual walls spouting water from them, where it rode down the water fountain and joined the other bare stems.

She grabbed a pink rose and started plucking each individual petal.

"Huh?" Naminé was surprised by her mother speaking out of the blue.

"Did you need me for something, sweetie?"

"Oh, right! I came out to tell you something. Sora met someone out in the woods."

"A girl?" Aqua teased. She knew Sora liked Naminé's maid Kairi, but the urge to poke fun at this was just too great.

Naminé grabbed the last white rose from her mother's bunch. "No. A man." She swatted her mother with the rose and looked around, seeing they were completely alone, before continuing. "He's a Keyblade Master and has been teaching Sora."

"So, that's where he goes twice a week."

"You noticed?"

"Ansem knows too," Aqua said. "I went to ask him if he knew and it seems he didn't. I don't think your father knows though."

"Well, the man just likes it this way. But he said we could bring you next time Sora goes."

Aqua thought Naminé's description of Sora's new teacher was similar to… No. It couldn't be him. Instead she asked, "How long have you two known him?"

"Sora… since he started making those abnormal visits into the woods. I only just met him yesterday."

Aqua raised a blue eyebrow. "And after one day, you convinced him to let me visit?" She knew Naminé had unbelievable persuasion skills. She'd had to suffer a kiss from Xehanort just after Naminé convinced her to talk to him about giving her a little more attention.

He'd kept his word at least.

"Yes." Naminé beamed.

"Why would you want to take me all the way out there?"

"You've been so upset lately and I think you could use some cheering up. Plus, this Keyblade Master said the same. He's sad and lonely too. I think since Sora met him, he's more willing to meet other people. You might make a friend!"

The girl was really hoping it would lead to something else.

"He even has a Wayfinder like yours!" Naminé was pointing at Aqua's star necklace with her rose.

This was a clearly interesting bit of information. The young Princess noticed her mother's ocean blue eyes widen.

A moment's hesitation, before…

"Okay. I'll go." Aqua smiled slightly, tearing the last of her rose's petals off and tossing the stem in the water. She picked up a pink one and started pulling off the petals. She did all this without looking.

"Yay!" Naminé threw her arms around her mother, knocking some roses into the water.

Aqua laughed and released herself from her daughter's grip. She stood and let the rest of her roses fall into the water. She threw her fresh picked petals into the air, letting them rain down softly.

Naminé thought the effect looked very nice. Very like her mother. The petals made her look peaceful and relaxed.

"Wait. What's this man's name?"

"Uh… it's a surprise!" Naminé stood up quickly, getting dizzy in the process, and took off. "Meet me and Sora in the stable tomorrow morning!"

Aqua just stared, bemused, as her daughter ran off. She let the petals continue to float around before picking up the last two flowers she had yet to pluck and tore their petals off as well.

* * *

**Sorry to say the next chapter isn't going to be where the twins get Terra and Aqua together. Instead, the chapter focuses around Xehanort. Yeah, not what a few of you would like, but it'll give you his view of the story.**

**As for Aqua's rose-plucking… You know how people do that with the 'loves me-loves me not' plucking? Ift's kind of what this is, but she's just miserable because roses are the flowers of love and she's been deprived of that very thing. So she rips the petals off.**

**By the way, I don't like to be picky, but I like when you guys review and let me know what you guys like. Or that you're even reading.**

**I'm so excited! Tomorrow is when **_**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1**_** comes out! *SQUEE!* I can't wait! :D HARRY POTTER RULES!**

**Smell ya later!**


	10. Thorns

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Before reading this, I'd like to say thank you to all my reviewers for being so supportive! But here's a big thank you to ****Fantasy0Girl****, who always catches the small mistakes I make. (I fix them later.)**

**Chapter 10 – Thorns**

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She was sadder than ever. All because of him. He could never make her happy, which was all he wanted. To see her smile for him. She never did. Her smiles were always for Sora and Naminé.

More unbearably… _him_. And Aqua hadn't been with him in years.

Fifteen years ago, when Xehanort and Aqua had first been engaged he'd been quite pleased to be able to marry such a beautiful maiden. She'd never been thrilled about it. However, she was willing to give him a chance if they could be friends first, which he agreed to. Anything to win her heart.

Their first night at dinner, Aqua told him about herself and he returned this gesture. Their relationship started off just fine.

Until the next afternoon… when she met his brother.

Xehanort and Aqua continued to try bonding as friends, but she was also spending a good deal of time with the other Prince.

At the time of the summer festival that year, held on the solstice, Xehanort was meant to be Aqua's date. He would've been too if it hadn't been for his brother asking her a day before. She abandoned him ten minutes after arriving and spent the rest of the festival with his brother.

After they were married, Aqua told Xehanort she'd shared her first kiss with the other Prince that night. Simply to make her husband angry.

She'd succeeded.

Xehanort thought his brother was the only one who'd fallen in love at first, but he once saw them kissing each other and told his brother to stay away from her.

It seemed to work… until Xehanort found out they'd slept together.

That had been the final straw.

_And a very painful thorn in his side…_

Aqua was Xehanort's bride-to-be. Not his brother's. How dare he steal her from him?

He took every measure possible to keep them apart. The only thing would be to… send him away.

Or he would die.

The brothers argued of course. A natural thing to do when in disagreement of such a huge matter. His brother consented only at the promise of one more week with Aqua.

Xehanort didn't want to, but he allowed it.

The lovers spent only one more week together and that was it. They both suffered from heartbreak when the Prince told the water maiden the news. She'd begged him to stay or even take him with her, but he'd argued everything against her pleas. He told her he wanted to let her do these things, in particular, run away with her, but they would live as fugitives, something he didn't want to put her through.

At the end of that week, Xehanort saw his brother leave Aqua behind, leaving her to become his wife. Aqua told him though she would be his wife, she would never be _his_. She was no one's other than her lover's. She would never love Xehanort.

She stayed true to her word.

_Yet another thorn…_

Even after forcing him to leave, the King still hated his brother because he'd taken Aqua's love with him.

Aqua had never once shown Xehanort any bit of love as she'd done with his brother.

Aqua did everything she could to show Xehanort how much she hated him. She refused his advances, never came near him unless necessary, and refused to let him give anything to her.

She certainly was strange. He normally would've just allowed her to leave…

But she was just so beautiful. Aqua was the fairest woman in all of Radiant Garden, back then and now still. Despite how stubborn she was, Xehanort kept Aqua as his wife, hoping she would come to her senses and stop her rebellious behavior. She would ease up and maybe even _pretend_ she was happy with him.

He had no such luck.

_Another thorn…_

Their wedding had been the one kiss she'd shared with him, and that night was the only one she shared his bed. She slept in her own room every night after, never came looking for him, and told him she flat out hated him.

Aqua made several escape attempts before and just after the marriage. None succeeded and Xehanort went as far as to assign her to be guarded day and night. The only privacy she got was in her room. Guards stood below her window to prevent escape, but she still got her privacy.

When the twins were born, Xehanort figured they were the only reason she'd stopped her escape attempts in the first place. This proved true when he cornered Aqua one day and she told him that her babies would be the only reasons she'd stay now. She still wanted her true love back.

He must've been long gone, but Xehanort still resented him. Day by day, Aqua grew sadder, and Xehanort grew angrier.

He was only more infuriated with her children. Proof she'd loved another man, right in front of him. Proof she belonged to that man alone.

Proof Aqua would never truly be Xehanort's.

_Another thorn…_

When the twins had been born, Xehanort, Aqua, Eraqus, and Ansem, the only people who'd known about Aqua and the other Prince's relationship, had agreed to keep the past secret. He found it surprising that Aqua consented, and it seemed she kept her word. Sora and Naminé knew nothing of the past.

Unbeknownst to Sora, Xehanort had taken notice of his absences from dawn to noon. He even saw Sora leaving the Hollow Bastion stables on Striker one morning when he'd had difficulty sleeping.

One of the stable boys, (Ventus, was it?) even left a report that Sora's horse was starting to get sick with exhaustion and fatigue during these strange trips.

More infuriating was how much Sora was like him. The look in his eyes, his determination, his strong heart.

It was unbelievable. Like fate had purposely made Sora like his father to taunt him. Remind him that Aqua was his brother's.

Naminé was starting to act strange too. First Aqua had come saying the girl wanted a little more attention, and just an hour ago, she'd come up to him and asked for her mother.

He'd meant to go down to the labs and help his father in an experiment, but Naminé's strange desire to find her mother had intrigued him too much. He saw his wife and daughter down in the garden talking.

Aqua had been ripping up flowers again. He saw pink, white, and red dots on her blue skirt, roses. She'd started doing this on this very day fifteen years ago. The anniversary of the day his brother left. (She did it at least once a week though.) The first time she did it, Aqua had left a pile of thorns outside Xehanort's bedroom.

_Literal thorns alongside figurative ones…_

She ruined those flowers because he ruined her life. If she were married to his brother, she wouldn't do this. _He_ would be bringing her flowers and she would kiss him. Tell him she loved him.

Xehanort had tried to keep her happy with flowers, but all she'd done was rip their petals off. Trying to give her gifts was pointless, so Xehanort stopped trying.

He was furious because he was unable to do anything for her. He tried being kind, but she didn't want it from him. Aqua was polite to him and simply polite. She kept a civil tone when they spoke, with the occasional touch of sarcasm, and when they addressed other people together, she played the charade of a good wife.

All an act.

Aqua constantly reminded Xehanort how much she loved his brother. The way he'd hold her in his arms and how she loved the flowers he gave her. When they shared their first kiss, it had been magical…

She'd even told him all she wanted now was to see him again. Something Xehanort wouldn't allow.

Though he hadn't seen him in fifteen years, Xehanort would never stop hating his brother for the things he'd done.

_A very wretched thorn in his side, indeed._

_

* * *

_

**Sorry this chapter's kinda short. Like Aqua's version of the story. How about that?**

**Yeah. Xehanort's jealousy never left him. He always hated his brother just because Aqua loved him. Jerk.**

**By the way, in the paragraph that mentions ****Xehanort, Aqua, Eraqus, and Ansem keeping secrets, they didn't know Kairi's mom knew about it. Kairi mentioned it when telling Naminé, if you guys don't remember.**

**Next chapter… Well, let's say Sora's in for a shock.**

**Any comments or complaints?**


	11. Reunited

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 11 – Reunited**

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The next morning, Aqua snuck out of her room and followed Sora and Naminé to the stables. Sneaking would be the only way to avoid her guards. She didn't want to take chances of them following her and her children to meet this mysterious Keyblade Master.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail before dressing her self completely in black. She wore pants, boots, and a long –sleeved shirt with a hood. She pulled the hood up, grabbed a riding pack from a chair near her window and hurried down to the stables.

Her bedroom door was unguarded. It hadn't been guarded in years, since Aqua stopped her escape attempts. The only place guarded now was her window, and those guards were one level below. They also served to protect her aside from stop her escape.

The hallway was deserted, but Aqua still didn't want to be seen. She avoided the occasional maid or servant scurrying around in morning hours. She almost ran into Dilan, one of Ansem's best guards, who Xehanort had once assigned to guard Aqua, but she avoided him by ducking into a broom closet.

She was one hallway away from the closest door leading outside to the stables. And Xehanort was in the way.

His back was to her, thankfully, and he was talking to another guard, Aeleus, a very tall, broad man with an axe-sword. She couldn't hear them, but the problem was Aeleus was facing her. His eyes were focused on Xehanort, but there was still the chance he'd spot her vivid blue hair.

She yanked her hood up and ducked into the closest room, the entrance to the labs. Not the best hiding place.

She kept the door cracked just slightly. She watched Xehanort and Aeleus walk down the hallway. Right toward her! She eased the door shut and locked it quietly. Xehanort stopped right outside the door and attempted to open it.

"That's strange," Aqua heard Xehanort mutter. "Aeleus, do you have a key, by any chance?"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I don't," Aeleus replied. "But don't you—"

"No! I'm not doing it. I haven't used it in years. I'll just go find my father. He keeps the keys."

Aqua heard their footsteps walking away, and Xehanort muttered, "I thought he told me he already unlocked the door. That old man's starting to lose it."

The Princess unlocked the door and poked her head out when Xehanort's footsteps were gone. She stuck her tongue out towards the direction she heard him go and blew a quiet raspberry.

Aqua crept out and ran for the exit. The stables were dead ahead and she charged.

Sora and Naminé were already inside, saddling up Snow. Their mother's white horse, Arrow, was already set to go. She'd named her horse this because when she galloped, it was like shooting an arrow with a bow. A thing Aqua was actually quite good at.

"So, Sora, where does this teacher of yours live?" Aqua asked.

"I'll lead the way," Sora said. "Mom, you can take your horse and Naminé and me will take Snow."

"Why not Striker?"

"Ven said he still needs to recover from riding fatigue," Sora explained.

"It's all the riding to see his teacher," Naminé explained at the sight of Aqua's raised eyebrow.

"Ah. I see…" Aqua was now worried for Striker's sake. She made a mental note to give him a bushel of apples the first chance she got. The care for Striker must've been putting a hassle on the stable boy who tended to him, Ventus.

"Alright, then. Are you two ready?" the mother asked her children.

"Yup!" Sora finished with Snow and lifted himself up. Aqua helped Naminé on behind her son and went over to Arrow and lifted herself up.

The three of them went out a secret gate no one except they three knew about, and Xehanort. He wasn't around to stop them, so they hurried through before any guards could stop them.

* * *

"So, Sora," Aqua said when they reached the forest, "will you tell me about this mysterious Keyblade Master of yours?"

Sora thought for a moment. "Well… he's helped me improve a lot," he said. "He's taught me new moves for my Keyblade, some magic I couldn't do before, and a lot of other tactics."

"He's really nice, too, Mom," Naminé added. "I think you'll be happy we brought you!"

"What about his name?" Aqua asked.

Sora grunted lightly and Naminé answered instead.

"You'll find out when we get there, mom," she said. "Don't tell her," she hissed quietly at Sora.

"Why'd you punch me?" Sora demanded.

"Just don't tell her!"

_'What are you up to, Naminé?'_ Aqua thought as they rode on.

* * *

The small family reached Terra's home by taking Sora's usual path. He was outside taking some whacks at a training dummy.

"Sora," he said when he saw them. "I didn't expect you to come today. We only meet twice a week." He smiled up at the twins, quirking an eyebrow at the ecstatic grin on Naminé's face.

"Yeah, well Naminé insisted on bringing someone to meet you today, Master," Sora said.

Terra turned his attention to the second horse and his heart nearly stopped when he saw Aqua's face.

"Aqua…" The Keyblade Master stared in awe of her. He walked up to her horse just as Aqua swung her legs onto the horse's left side.

"Terra…" Aqua's eyes were wider than her children had ever seen as she stared at Sora's Keyblade Master. Her years of sadness wore away to let elation and happiness surge forth from their buried depths. Sora was completely lost on the whole situation, but he felt the Light in his mother's heart turn into a supernova. Naminé beamed when she saw her mother's astonished look change into a warm smile she'd never seen before.

Terra took Aqua's arms as she slid off the horse and into his embrace. He pushed her hood off, letting her long blue hair fall free. They gazed into each other's eyes with a sense of longing and love. She touched his face, stroking it as if to make sure Terra wasn't a mirage.

He wasn't. He was really there. Holding her in his arms again.

Terra was just as relieved. He didn't think he'd ever see her again while Xehanort was alive. But Aqua was right there in front of him.

_'So, _this_ is what Naminé was up to,'_ Aqua thought.

Neither of them cared that Sora and Naminé were watching. Terra leaned his face down to hers and kissed her. The water princess's lips parted for him as she laced her fingers into her earth knight's spiky hair.

Sora's jaw dropped. Naminé clapped her hands and bounced happily on the balls of her feet as she saw two true lovers reunited.

"What. The. HECK?" Sora shouted.

Terra and Aqua immediately pulled apart, staring at the Prince.

"Sora…" Naminé started.

"Naminé, our… our mom… just… She kissed my Keyblade Master!" Sora shouted.

"Actually, he kissed her," his sister corrected.

"Whichever!" Sora's spread his arms wide in exasperated annoyance. "SHE'S MARRIED! She can't just kiss some guy totally out of the blue!"

"Sora, please calm down," Aqua pleaded.

"I'm not calming down until you explain what's going on!"

"That's what I'm going to do."

Sora's temper disappeared immediately. "Oh."

"Sora, Terra, in the time you've gotten to know each other, have you noticed how similar you both are?" Aqua asked.

"No." Sora shook his head.

"Sorry, Aqua. No," Terra said.

"Then, let me enlighten you both." Aqua grasped Terra's hand and smiled at him for reassurance. He pecked her cheek in response. Sora glared at them.

"You're both Keyblade wielders, both brave, both stubborn."

"Hey!" Sora objected.

"Don't deny it, Sora," Naminé said. "You and Riku get up in each other's faces all the time during your spars." Terra snorted.

"Hey!" Sora shouted again. The earth knight held up a hand in surrender.

"Listen to your mother, Sora," he said.

"Before I married Xehanort, Terra and I met and fell in love," Aqua continued. "I met him at the time I was arranged to marry Xehanort, but it turns out his brother was the one I was destined to love."

"My dad's… your brother…?" Sora asked Terra.

"_Our_ dad, Sora," Naminé corrected. Her brother ignored her.

"Actually, there's more to it," Aqua whispered, just loud enough for the other three to hear. "Terra is Xehanort's brother, banished when he found out a deep secret between us."

"Say… what?" Sora felt every ounce of his sanity start to slip away.

"You came to be just before I married him. When Terra and I freely enjoyed our romance."

Sora was getting scared by where she was going. "Mom, wha—?"

"Terra is your father. And Xehanort is your uncle."

That's when Sora felt his sanity slip out of his grasp.

**

* * *

**

**I guess you all figured out that little surprise a long time ago, as did Naminé. But it's news to Sora. So, there.**

**This was what the entire plot was supposed to lead up to. Quite the twist, eh? Just you wait until the next chapter. *evil grin***


	12. Tantrum

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 12 – Tantrum**

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"He's WHAT?"

Sora's outburst had done nothing to his mother and newly discovered father, but it had scared Naminé and the horses quite badly. The Princess was hiding behind her horse and the horse itself was fidgeting and almost ready to buck.

"Mom… how…" Sora was lost for words. "_How_ did this happen?"

"Sora, I won't explain anything more until you calm down," Aqua said.

"Calm—You want me to _calm down_ after telling me the guy I thought was my dad isn't my dad? And my Keyblade Master _is_? How can you expect me to calm down?" Sora screeched.

"I'm not expecting you to anytime soon," his mother continued. "But I won't say anything more until you are calm."

Her patience… Naminé's earlier glee… Terra's impish grin…

Sora couldn't take it. "UUUUGH!"

He turned on his heel and stomped off into the woods, looking for the nearby stream. Naminé trotted after him, leaving her mother and Terra alone in his glade.

* * *

"Sora, come back!"

"Go away, Naminé!"

Sora had stomped over to the river with Naminé following him.

"Can we just talk?" She stumbled over a log, but quickly scrambled back up.

"NO!"

"Sora, listen, please!"

"To what, Naminé?" Sora stopped and glared at her. "The fact that our real parents aren't even married? That we came to be in the dark? And Mom and Xehanort… how could they keep this from us! Xehanort isn't our dad!"

"I don't know if that's really true," Naminé whispered, just loud enough for Sora not to hear.

"Our lives are a mess!"

Naminé shrugged. "It's really more like Mom's life is a mess, Sora. She and Dad fell in love years ago. And Xehanort ruined their lives."

"How do you know so much about this?"

"Kairi told me."

Kairi? Of all people, how did Kairi know?

"How does _she_ know so much?" Sora inquired.

"Her mom is a maid. She's actually the one who's taken care of Mom since she came to Hollow Bastion and she knew the whole story." She shuffled her feet nervously. "She told me quite a bit. The only information I was missing at the time was Terra's name. It's the only thing Kairi didn't know."

Sora crossed arms and humph-ed. "Then why did Mom marry Xehanort and not…" He gulped nervously. "Our real dad?"

"Do you want to go back and find out from her?" Naminé offered. "She can tell you the story."

"I want to know what you know first."

The Princess sighed and sat down on the roots of the tree she was leaning on.

"Make yourself comfortable. It's not long, but you clearly need to sit."

Sora simply obeyed as he let his sister go into a long, not too detailed, account of their parents' plight.

* * *

Naminé told Sora everything Kairi had told her. The engagement; Aqua falling in love with Terra, not Xehanort; their problems with Xehanort, and finally Terra's departure.

"So… they went through all that… just because they fell in love?" Sora asked when Naminé finished.

Naminé nodded. "Yes."

"That's pretty… sad…" Sora decided.

"Yes. Mom and Dad sure were miserable about it," Naminé said. "They were very deeply in love, but Xehanort kept them apart. All out of jealousy."

Sora was starting to see Terra and Aqua's side of the problem. Falling in love, hoping to be together… Only to have it ripped away from them because of Xehanort's jealousy…

It was just cruel.

"You ready to talk to them?" Naminé asked.

Sora was silent for a moment, but he nodded.

"One second."

Sora felt the need to physically cool off. When he got into bad moods, his temperature spiked and water normally helped him snap out of it. There was something relaxing about it.

He cupped his hands and splashed the water right in his face. Its cooling magic worked instantly.

"Let's go," he said.

* * *

After Sora had stormed off with Naminé scurrying behind him, Terra had led Aqua into his house. She liked the place. It was small and quiet. If she had been able to leave Radiant Garden with Terra all those years ago, she would've gladly come to live here with him.

The reunited lovers were preparing a small breakfast for themselves and the twins. Terra sizzled up eggs and bacon while Aqua set the table and poured glasses of water for everyone.

"I can't believe it's been fifteen years," Terra said. "It feels like it's been so much longer."

"Hmm… yes," Aqua agreed. "It does…"

The earth knight dumped the food onto a massive platter. There was more than enough for just four people. Sora and Naminé would be stuffed before they finished.

He crept up behind Aqua and hugged her around the waist. "I missed you," he whispered.

"Terra… I never stopped missing you." Aqua turned around in his arms. She held his face gently. "I've missed you so much…"

"I know, Aqua. I know." He put one arm around her waist and the other at the base of her neck. He played with some of her hair.

"I never thought I'd see you with long hair," Terra mused. "You had it cut short back when I met you."

"Do you want me to cut it?" Aqua asked. "I just never gave a thought to it after you left."

"Well, please don't cut it," her lover said. "It makes you so much more beautiful. Your hair looks like a waterfall."

Aqua smiled her sweetest smile. The one he knew she'd only ever given him. She traced her hand down his torso.

"You've gotten so strong…" she whispered.

"It's all I could do out here. But now you're back. Here with me again." He planted his lips on hers and she succumbed to him. "That's all that matters to me now."

"I know." A tear fell down Aqua's cheek.

They kissed again. Terra traced his tongue over Aqua's lower lip, with her doing the same to his own upper lip.

"Um… are we interrupting something?"

The lovers parted at the sound of their son's voice. Sora and Naminé were standing in the doorway, Naminé's hand on the doorknob.

"Looks like we are," she observed.

"Don't worry about it," Terra said. "We've been interrupted before."

"By Xehanort?" Naminé asked.

"Him and once my father. Your grandfather, Ansem."

Sora almost corrected his father, but he remembered as Xehanort and Terra were brothers, Ansem was father to both of them.

"We made breakfast," Aqua said. "If you want, we'll explain everything while you eat."

Naminé nodded and sat down. Terra grabbed the platter of breakfast food and walked over to the table. Aqua and Sora sat down simultaneously.

"All right, be ready, you two," Aqua said. "This story takes some time to tell."

"We're not going anywhere," Sora pointed out. He spooned some eggs onto his plate and snatched a handful of bacon.

His parents simply smiled at him and began their sad tale.

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**Yeah. Sora had a tantrum. The idea just hit me when I was writing the part of discovering Terra was his dad. :) And yes, my evil grin last chapter was because I made Sora have a hissy.**

**And by the way, there's a much needed explanation in the next chapter. Which might freak a bunch of you out.**

******Not as long as I'd like it to be, but it'll do.**

**Next chapter is when we get some real romance in here.**


	13. Truth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 13 – Truth**

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Terra and Aqua sat on one side of the table with Sora and Naminé on the opposite side. Terra and Sora sat across from each other. For the first time, they were really sizing each other up, trying to see their similarities.

They helped themselves to the same amount of food and began to eat as Aqua told the story of her romance with Terra.

"Fifteen years ago," she started. "My father had arranged with Ansem the Wise for me to marry Xehanort." Terra squeezed her hand at the mention of the King. Aqua stroked his hand with her thumb, soothing him before continuing. "We tried becoming friends at first, but falling in love was out of the question…"

"Because the next day," Terra started, "when… she met me."

"Something clicked between us right away," Aqua went on. "Over the next few weeks, I had to spend time with Xehanort, but afterward, I would go find Terra right away. He even taught me how to wield a Keyblade. I tried teaching myself and failing miserably. We spent so much time together that we…" She giggled lightly.

"We fell in love," Terra finished. He smiled down at Aqua, who returned it with her own dazzling smile.

"On the night of Radiant Garden's summer festival, I was supposed to attend with Xehanort, but I slipped away because Terra had secretly asked me to be his date. Just as the fireworks were being sent up, Terra took me for a ride on his Keyblade Glider. Up in the sky, we shared our first kiss…" She smiled fondly at the memory. "And Terra told me he loved me."

"I knew she was the one for me," Terra added. "Sora, Naminé, I loved your mother so much I was willing to defy the law to be with her. She was engaged to my brother, but I couldn't help it. Love makes people do crazy things." He bit off half a whole piece of bacon and let Aqua continue.

"Neither could I," she said. "But Xehanort found out… and told Terra to stop."

"I just couldn't," Terra said. "I told my brother that I loved Aqua, but he reminded me that she was his bride-to-be. And I couldn't be with her."

"It didn't stop you though, did it?" Naminé asked.

"Not in the slightest," the earth knight replied. "All I did was ask Eraqus to teach Aqua instead. We used to sneak out on secret dates after dinner."

"I remember one time we went to the Fountain Court. We had a late-night picnic."

"We had to sneak out through a secret passage to prevent Xehanort from following us."

"I thought he knew all the secret passages," Sora said.

"He probably does, by now," Terra agreed. "But I happened to know of a few he didn't know about back then."

Sora took this all in stride. Getting to know his real father, that his parents truly loved each other, and that his mother had truly been happy at one time in her life. It was something he was glad to see.

It was also something he'd never seen before, or thought so beautiful. It almost reminded Sora of when he saw Naminé's maid friend Kairi. He blushed when he saw Kairi the same way his parents were while holding onto each other. The shine in his mother's eyes was something he felt his own eyes do when he saw Kairi.

"Can we please get back to the story?" Naminé begged.

"Oh. Right," Aqua said. "Well, our secret meetings continued for about another month or so. Then…"

"Then, what?" Sora asked.

"Well, your mother and I…" Terra tried to say. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

The twins' eyes widened. "Oh…"

"Yeah. That." Aqua blushed awkwardly.

"Well, afterward…" Terra tried to fill the awkward silence, "Xehanort found out and told me I had to leave Aqua because she was his fiancé. We argued. And in the end… he won. I agreed to leave if I could have just one more week with her."

"He obliged… but Terra came and told me what happened between him and Xehanort later that day," Aqua added.

"It broke my heart to say it, and your mother's to hear it," the earth knight added, looking Sora directly in the eye.

Only in that moment did Sora truly notice his eye color was exactly the same as his father's. But he saw unbelievable sadness in them, like he'd never seen before. And all the times he and Naminé had cried meant nothing compared with his parents' sadness.

"At the end of the week, our very last night together, I stayed with Aqua again," Terra continued. "And I tried to leave without her noticing the next morning."

"Nothing gets by me when it comes to you, Terra," Aqua said. A tear rolled down her cheek, and Terra bent down and kissed the trail it left.

"I followed him and tried to beg to go with him," Aqua said, "but he told me to stay. That he would just die if I went with him and that I would be dragged back here. He wasn't going to bring me and put me through life as a fugitive either."

"Xehanort would've hunted us relentlessly," Terra said.

"So, you told Mom to stay because if that had happened, you two would never have had a chance to be reunited," Naminé finished.

Terra nodded. "You're exactly right, Naminé."

He and Aqua reached for their star charm pendants, holding them up to each other. "I made these Wayfinders as a permanent connection between us," the water princess said. "As long as we carried them, we'd be forever connected. And I never took it off."

"I never parted with it," Terra assured her. "And when it really was time for me to leave, I gave Aqua a final kiss and left."

"But he promised that he would love me forever, and I promised the same," Aqua said. "A promise we never broke."

"Right." Terra planted his lips on Aqua's, reveling in her presence, wishing she'd never leave him again.

"So, to end the story, Dad moved out here, and Mom stayed in Radiant Garden, where she had and raised us. That's it?" Sora asked.

"Pretty much," Aqua answered when she and Terra parted. "The only thing you're missing is my several escape attempts."

"Escape attempts?" Terra asked.

"I couldn't stand Xehanort. I wanted to be with you, Terra."

All he could do was smile. Even after his warnings, she still tried to come back to him.

"I finally had to stop trying when Xehanort assigned me to be guarded whenever I left the castle." She paused, playing with her food. "But the main reason I stopped… was because…"

"We were on the way. Right?" Sora asked. He shoved bacon into his mouth.

"Exactly." His mother nodded. "I wasn't going to put babies through the stress of running away. It would've just been hard on you two. So, I stayed to take care of you. I loved you two as much as Terra, not in the same way, romantic love is different from love for your children, but I loved you both."

She sighed half-miserably/half-happily. "Xehanort knew from the instant you were born, Sora, that you were not his son. He knew you were Terra's because you look just like him." She reminisced happily. "I remember that day so well. I cried because you were the proof Terra was the one I loved. You have your father's brown hair and his beautiful blue eyes."

Terra blushed and lifted Aqua's hand to his face and rubbed it against his cheek. "I'm flattered to know I gave you a piece of myself to keep you happy."

"Two pieces!" Naminé corrected. "Sora and I are twins!"

"Strange… the only similarity I see between you two are the blue eyes," Terra observed. "Except, Sora has my eyes and you, Naminé, have your mother's wonderful eyes." Aqua blushed this time.

"There's actually a little twist there…" she confessed.

"Huh?" the twins said simultaneously.

"There's a law… in Radiant Garden… For a married couple, they must sleep together the first night of their marriage."

Sora didn't get it. Naminé's eyes were the size of the platter with the food on it.

"I had to share Xehanort's bed the first night. And… we conceived Naminé." Aqua only looked at Terra as she said it.

"So… I'm really his daughter and Sora is Terra's son?"

Sora and Naminé stared at each other.

"Is that even _possible_?" they both shouted.

Aqua giggled and took a bite of eggs. "Your grandfather actually discussed the same thing with me a week after you two were born. It _is_ quite possible for a woman to have twins that are also half siblings due to having different fathers. But in the case of you two, you're also cousins."

Sora felt ready to fall over backward in a dead faint, but he stayed focused on the story. Naminé's eyes were bugging out.

All she said was, "That's… weird…"

"Weird but true," Aqua agreed.

"Well, I've only known him one day and Terra seems more like a dad than Xehanort ever did," Naminé confessed.

"He's selfish and cares only about himself," Terra replied. "I don't blame you for feeling like that."

"I still can't technically call you 'Dad' though," the Princess replied sadly.

Terra considered her words. A plan formulated in his mind.

"It's no big deal. You can still just call me by my name."

Naminé smiled sadly. She'd been hoping Terra actually _was_ her father when her mother had confessed earlier. She was just glad to know she was definitely more like her mother than her father.

"You have your mother's face," Terra mused.

"Huh?" Naminé perked up.

"You may have light hair like your father, Naminé, but you have your mother's beautiful eyes and face."

The Princess's cheeks turned really pink.

"You also blush just like she does. Whenever I paid her a compliment, Aqua's cheeks would go all rosy."

At the mention of this, Aqua's cheeks went all rosy.

"Beautiful…" Terra whispered to her. Aqua hugged him tightly, to her best extent due to the fact they were sitting at a table side-by-side.

Sora thought it was strange to be with his mother, father, and twin half-sister/cousin. Despite all the weirdness from earlier, it was one of the most pleasant mornings he'd ever had.

* * *

**I checked before writing the story. If a woman… well… let's say 'sleeps'… with two different men and conceives a child from both, they can still be considered twins, but they are also half-siblings. Like Sora and Naminé are. Some of you guys thought they were both Terra's, but I specifically chose Naminé because she has light hair and she's also the younger twin. Sora had to be conceived first.**

**And it's quite interesting that some of you figured out Naminé was Xehanort's rather than Terra's daughter. But I'm wondering why none of you wondered about the twin thing. Can someone explain that? Is that just common knowledge now or something?**

**Anyway, now you know some real crazy stuff. All planned from the start.**


	14. True Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**WARNING: Not very descriptive mature content. You've been warned.**

**Chapter 14 – True Love**

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After a whole day of storytelling, the little family sat around a campfire outside Terra's shack. Sora was still getting used to the fact that Terra was his true father and Naminé his twin, half-sister, and cousin at the same time, but he wasn't yelling anymore.

They spent most of their dinnertime telling stories about their lives. Aqua informed Terra of how miserable Xehanort made her even when she wasn't near him. Terra said he was only happy when he was in the water now, as it reminded him of his dear love.

Sora told Terra about Riku, training with the Keyblade, how Ventus was now bugging him about Striker's health, to which his father only agreed with Ven. He also told him about the first time he ever summoned his Keyblade. He'd sworn Master Eraqus was following him around the whole time.

Aqua confessed she'd been informed by Master Eraqus about his actions concerning his spying on Sora. They'd been because Eraqus had suspected the boy could wield a Keyblade due to being the son of two Keyblade wielders.

He'd been right.

Terra was open to hearing about his niece, Naminé. She told him that while Xehanort spied on Sora, for reasons they now understood, and tried to convince Aqua to love him, he barely paid her any attention. Even though he was now trying, it still wasn't much. The Princess said it was probably only because her mother had requested it.

Terra agreed with her on this. Xehanort cared about nobody but himself. The very reason he went to extreme measures to marry a girl whom he knew loved someone else.

Aqua even told Terra about her habit of tearing roses apart. He regarded this as strange until she revealed it was because she used to love it when he would give her roses. But she didn't want to see them after he left so she destroyed them instead.

She'd started doing this because Xehanort had tried to give her flowers the day Terra left. His attempts to be nice didn't do anything to appease her.

Terra told them the only things he'd done out in the forest were train and ride Gaia. He also spent many nights crying himself to sleep over his loss of Aqua.

He spent many ways trying to be as close as possible to Aqua. He would go swimming in the river everyday. His beloved's name meant 'water', named for her beautiful hair and eyes. The running water was soothing, it made him feel like she was right there.

As they talked, Terra's clever mind formed a clear plan. One that would unite him with Aqua forever.

Karma was about to come back and bite Xehanort where he wouldn't like it.

* * *

Sora fell asleep by the fire, his head leaning on a log. Naminé curled up on the ground wrapped in a blanket-cocoon. The only ones left awake were Terra and Aqua, who were lying together wrapped in one blanket with the water lady resting her head on her earth knight's shoulder.

"One from each of us…" Terra mused, staring at his lover's children. "Weird."

"Yeah," Aqua said glumly. "I'm so sorry Naminé has to be his and not yours, Terra."

"It's alright. She's fine. And nothing like my brother," Terra replied. "I like Naminé. She's a good sister for Sora."

"His twin… yet his half-sister… _and_ his cousin… What are the odds?"

Both Terra and Aqua laughed at that, not loud enough to wake the twins up, but still loud enough for Sora to loll his head over to the side.

"All these years, Aqua. I never stopped loving you. I thought of you everyday, praying that you were thinking of me too." Terra planted a kiss on her forehead.

"You never left my thoughts, Terra. I cried myself to sleep at night thinking of you, wishing you'd come back and get me."

"I wanted to. But Xehanort would've killed me and any chance of us being reunited. I figured the only way would be to hide and keep an ear open for news from Radiant Garden. If anything had happened to Xehanort, I would've returned to you immediately."

"You probably heard all the weird rumors about me, then," Aqua mused. "That I hated him, never wanted to be near him, or even touch him?"

"I heard everything," Terra laughed. "I didn't know what to think. Did you still love me or just hate my brother?"

"What did you really think it was?"

"That you were waiting for me to come back. That you still loved me."

"It's a bit of both. Mostly that I love you."

"I'm glad." Terra stroked his hand down Aqua's arm. "Because I love you too."

She smiled and sat up straighter as he leaned down to kiss her. Aqua caressed his face as he slid his hands to her back and caressed her body.

"Aqua…"

"Hmm?"

"I know that… you had to…"

Aqua turned her gaze to her stomach, which Terra happened to be stroking.

"It's the law, Terra. The marriage—" She was silenced by Terra kissing her again.

"I know. And I don't blame you." He paused, turning his cobalt gaze to her watery orbs. "But I intend to make you mine again whether he likes it or not."

Aqua giggled. "I was never his." She stroked her lover's face again, feeling the traces of heat in her fingers' wake. "I was always yours. And yours alone."

"Good," Terra murmured, flashing her a cocky, yet dashing, smirk.

"Let's take Sora and Naminé inside before you try anything."

Terra smirked. "Very well, my Aqua."

The earth knight picked Sora up and went over to nudge his house's door open with his foot. Aqua gathered up Naminé and her blanket and followed her lover. They set the twins on the couches, Naminé curled up even tighter in her cocoon as she settled in.

"Come here," Terra told Aqua. He was standing by the door to his room with his hand held out to her. She strode over and took it as Terra pulled her inside, shutting the door behind them.

* * *

Later, Terra and Aqua lay under the blankets in his bed, bare to each other and warm only thanks to the other's body heat. Terra stroked Aqua's long blue tresses, letting himself absorb every bit of her that he'd missed for fifteen long years. His other arm was wrapped around her, keeping her safe in his embrace.

Aqua had her face pressed into her lover's neck, her hand stroked his cheek soothingly, relaxing them both. She leaned up and kissed him sweetly.

"I love you," she whispered.

"And I, you," he replied, smiling into her beautiful oceanic eyes. His cobalt ones softened from their normally hard gaze as he pulled her closer to him.

He pressed himself against her, she pulled him tight against her body in response, never wanting to let go.

"There's something I need to talk to you about, Aqua."

"Hmm?"

"I want you so badly…"

The water lady caressed her earth knight's face. "And I'm yours. So…"

"But you aren't free to be mine… You're still married to Xehanort."

"I don't care. I'll never go back. I want to stay here with you, Terra…"

He rolled on top of her. "I know." He leaned down and kissed her left cheek. "But Xehanort is bound to have noticed you, Sora, and Naminé aren't home by now."

Aqua realized what Terra meant. "He'll come looking."

Terra nodded and kissed her other cheek before gently cupping it. He bent down to her left ear.

"I have a plan," he whispered. "I came up with it while we were talking at breakfast. If it succeeds, you and I will be free of Xehanort forever. I'll fully take you back."

Aqua smiled up at him and kissed him. "Thank you…" she whispered.

Without bothering to explain further, Terra pushed himself into his lover. She arched her back at the sensation and wrapped her arms around her earth knight's neck. He kissed her neck in response.

Once they were done, Terra and Aqua lay in each other's embraces tiredly, letting peaceful sleep overtake them.

Terra was so glad Aqua was back with him. All his patience, waiting, and prayers had paid off. She'd been brought back to him by his own son and his brother's daughter, who favored her mother being happy rather than staying married to someone she didn't love and suffering.

He would tell her, Sora, and Naminé his plan in the morning. For now, he was content to sleep with Aqua.

She was finally his again.

* * *

**Oh… *shrugs* Couldn't resist it. But like in 'Guided by the Heart', I don't do descriptive lemon. Next chapter is about vengeance!**

**And yes, I believe in the concepts of Karma. It **_**loves**_** to work its power. So, do good things if you want good stuff to happen!**


	15. Hidden Bonds

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**NOTE: Okay, so this chapter isn't about plotting revenge like I thought, that'll be next chapter. But Terra's plan is mentioned. Just not described.**

**Chapter 15 – Hidden Bonds**

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Sora woke up on a couch in Terra's house. Naminé lay on the couch across from him, wrapped in blankets. His parents were probably sleeping in Terra's own room.

"Hey, Naminé," Sora whispered. She only gripped her blankets tighter.

"Naminé…" No response. "NAMINÉ!"

"GAH!" She rolled right off the couch in surprise. "OW!"

Sora held back a snicker. "Sorry."

Naminé just swiped the pillow her head had been on and chucked it at Sora, hitting him square in the face.

"Oof!" he grunted.

"Don't _ever_ do that again!" she hissed.

"Wanna get Mom and Dad up? I'm hungry."

The Prince rose from the couch he was on and made to head for Terra's room.

"Stay out!" Naminé cried when Sora set his hand on the knob.

"Why?"

"They were just reunited after fifteen years. WHAT do you think they'd be doing last night? Especially after learning about their romance."

Sora scratched his chin. "Oh…" he said after a minute.

"Knock on the door and ask if they'll come out soon. But _don't_ open it!" Naminé pulled herself off the floor and cuddled back under the blankets. "Now, let me sleep!" She put the pillow under her head and went back to sleep.

Sora lightly tapped on the door to receive no response.

"Mom? Dad?" Still no response.

He risked a peek inside.

"Sora, leave them alone," Naminé muttered. He stuck his tongue out at his sleeping sister/cousin.

Deciding she was right, Sora walked outside to go to the creek. He really needed to clear his head. And he needed a bath.

He was startled to find his parents clothes where he'd found Terra's the first day he'd come into the forest to train. Sprawled out in a pile near a log.

Sora then noticed his parents sitting in the shallow waters of the river. Terra only in his underwear. Aqua's back was to her son, with her hair draped over her front, but he could see her dressed in an old black-and-blue halter shirt she'd had forever and black shorts. Sora could tell when Aqua lifted her face to Terra's and kissed him.

Normally the sight of something like the scene before him would make Sora gag. Especially because he was seeing his parents kiss in nothing but their underwear in the shallows of a river.

"Sora." Terra broke the kiss at the sight of his son.

"Mom… Dad…"

"Do you need something, Sora?" his mother asked.

Sora shook his head. "Just looking for you guys."

Terra gestured for Sora to approach, which he did, after pulling off his shoes, which he'd slept in. He put them by his parents' clothes and waded toward them.

"Why were you looking for us?" his father asked.

"I… wanted to just talk… all three of us. You're my parents, after all."

"You're still trying to grasp that I'm your father, aren't you, Sora?"

Sora's eyes dropped to his feet. "Yes."

Aqua reached over and cupped her son's cheek. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Sora. If we'd had our way, we would've been married and happy with you."

"And Naminé wouldn't exist," Sora added.

"Hmm… That's true." Aqua nodded. "It seems Naminé was the only good thing to come out of marrying Xehanort. And I love her just as much as I love you." She smiled at her son, which he returned at her.

A few minutes passed in awkward silence before Sora stepped in the water and sat down next to his parents. Aqua smoothed down his bed head hair, which never stayed down no matter how hard anyone tried to fix it.

"Sora?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you any of this before. Believe me, I wanted to. But Xehanort, as well as Eraqus, your grandfather, and myself all agreed to keep Terra's and my romance a secret. We all knew from the start you were his son. The maid who takes care of me was the same."

"Kairi's mom," Sora said.

"Kairi?"

"Naminé's maid," Sora replied. "She told Naminé the story and that's why she knew the whole thing. And when she saw Dad's Wayfinder, she knew he was the one you fell in love with, Mom."

"Your sister…" she sighed. "She certainly is mischievous."

"And gifted in the evil art of persuasion."

"Is that why you agreed so easily to let me come out here?" Aqua asked Terra.

"No, I wanted to know who Sora's mother was when I first met him, Aqua," Terra answered. "He told me and that's why I let Naminé bring you out here. I wanted to see you again. I just didn't know if you'd be able to get around Xehanort or not. Nor did I know Naminé was as gifted as he was in persuasion. The stupid reason I agreed to leave in the first place."

"Well, she is. But that and her light hair are the only traits she shares with him."

"Xehanort barely cares about me," a voice said.

The three in the river turned around to see Naminé wading toward them, dressed in a T-shirt and what looked like a pair of Sora's boxers.

She sat down between her brother and Terra.

"Why are you…?"

"I snuck them from the laundry," Naminé explained as Sora attempted to ask how she'd gotten hold of his underwear.

Terra wrapped an arm around his niece, welcoming her into a hug. She hugged back.

"I wish I could say you were my daughter, Naminé," he said. "I can see how different from Xehanort you really are." The Princess sighed sadly in response.

"But you're also Aqua's daughter," the earth knight added. "And I more than happily accept you into the bonds of my heart. The bonds I've formed with you, Aqua, and Sora are the most special and powerful in my heart."

"Bonds you kept hidden," she pointed out.

The lovers nodded. "We had to keep them hidden," Aqua said.

"But despite our attempts, Xehanort managed to take something from each of us," Sora said.

Only Terra nodded this time. Aqua's eyes were downcast and Naminé started twiddling her thumbs.

"He deprived Naminé of a real relationship with her father. He took away the father I never knew I had until now. And he separated my parents from being happy together."

Aqua sobbed. "The only good thing he did was help bring Naminé into existence." She cupped her daughter's cheek.

"Just because I'm his… does that mean…?"

"Naminé, I love you so much," Aqua assured her. "Nothing in this world will change that. Even if you're the daughter of a husband I can't stand, it doesn't change how much I love you, sweetie."

Naminé moved between her uncle and mother and hugged Aqua, who returned her loving embrace. Terra and Sora wrapped their arms around the two Princesses.

Their moment couldn't possibly be spoiled by anything. And though she was his older brother's daughter, Terra felt as if Naminé were truly his own daughter. She was a younger version of her mother, just as sweet, pretty, and strong-hearted.

Sora was just like his father. Strong, confident, and a talented Keyblade warrior. Even if he was a little on the goofy side, Terra was proud to be the father of this boy. He ruffled his son's hair and Sora laughed in response.

"I promise all of you we're going to fix this mess," Terra said. "I have a plan.

"To do what?" the twin cousins asked.

"I'm going to challenge Xehanort for Aqua's freedom from their marriage. If I win, he'll have the marriage declared null and void and I can fully return to Radiant Garden and live peacefully with all of you."

"What about Xehanort?" Naminé asked.

"It's a challenge. A well-known one in Radiant Garden known as 'Last Man Standing'," Terra explained. "The first man down loses. And he must be disarmed."

"Master Eraqus told me about this particular challenge," Sora said. "It can be harmful, but no deaths are allowed."

"We don't like having winners suffer bad reputations for killing someone in a combat contest in Radiant Garden," Terra explained. "It an important rule in this case considering Xehanort is the King. If I challenge him and he was killed, people would think I'm only trying to take power from someone else."

"Thing is, you're not trying to do that right, Dad?" Sora asked.

His father nodded. "Right, Sora. The only thing I intend to do is end his marriage with Aqua. But if I won, I could choose to take the crown from him if I wanted, which I don't. I only want to have Aqua freed from her vows so I can be happy with her." The water lady kissed his cheek.

"I bet a bunch of men wish they could've challenged Xehanort for me," she water lady said.

"No one can challenge him other than a member of his family. The only legitimate ones who could challenge him are myself and Sora," Terra told her. "Xehanort had nothing to worry about when it came to others wanting you, Aqua. But I was a problem and he threatened me with death if I didn't leave."

"Nothing's going to stop you now, though," Naminé pointed out.

"Nothing in the world," Terra said, leaning in to kiss Aqua, she returned his gesture sweetly.

"Now, how about we all dry off and get ready to go?" Terra asked.

The other three nodded and stood along with him. The four of them began wading to shore, where Sora's shoes, his parents' clothes, and a pile of towels Naminé had brought for them were laid out.

"Naminé, can I ask you something?" Aqua inquired as she picked up a towel and began to dry herself off.

The young Princess was squeezing the water out of her shirt and Sora's boxers. "Hmmm?"

"Why have you started referring to your father by his name and not as 'Daddy' anymore?"

"Because he's not the kind of father I like having," Naminé responded. "I think of Terra more as a dad than Xehanort."

Terra smiled at the girl. She truly was like her mother.

"If you want then, Naminé, once all this is settled and I've married Aqua, you can start calling me 'Dad'," the earth knight offered.

Naminé threw her arms around Terra in response. He chuckled and hugged her in response.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get going!" she exclaimed.

**

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**A heads up for next time, the family will return to Radiant Garden and confront Xehanort. You'll see what they're planning then.**

**And I apologize that the challenge isn't a death match. But I can't kill KH original characters. I killed the antagonists I made up for my long KH fics, but they were OCs. Sorry if no one likes this set up. And I had Terra explain my own opinion of it.**

**I hope you liked this chapter. Sora gets to know a little more about his parents. It's one of my favorites.**

**I won't update again until Saturday. I'm busy this week preparing for a test. But I'll try to update afterward. Then, I'll finish up the story. Sorry to tell you guys we're nearing the end.**


	16. Challenge

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 16 – Challenge**

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At midmorning, Terra, Aqua, Sora, and Naminé rode back to Radiant Garden on their horses. Though Aqua told Terra she'd like to ride with him on his Keyblade Glider, their steeds had to come home as well. As soon as their problems with Xehanort were over, he promised to take her on a ride.

Terra mounted Gaia with Aqua right behind him on Arrow. Sora and Naminé rode on Snow.

They all knew the plan. They only hoped Xehanort would be willing to accept. Terra mentioned to the others that while his brother was trained in combat, Xehanort preferred to avoid violence, which was when he started using his persuasion skills to get what he wanted. But he wasn't going to let Xehanort's evil gift force him to leave again.

He would fight for his love no matter what Xehanort did.

Terra wore a hooded jacket in order to hide himself from the Radiant Garden citizens and guards. Aqua simply told the guards she and her children had found a stranger in the woods and wished to offer him some hospitality.

They made it to the stables without a problem. The only one in there was Ventus, who was always in the stable midmorning.

"Sora, where've you been?" Ven asked when he saw them. "And who's this?" He pointed at Terra, who still had his hood up.

"Long story," Aqua answered.

"Oh! Your Highnesses!" Ven kneeled when he saw the two Princesses. Naminé giggled, and when Ven looked up, he was blushing. He only used those kinds of manners when he was speaking with Naminé or Aqua. Sora had asked him never to act that way long ago.

"You don't have to be so formal, Ven," Aqua said. "We're all friends here. And we're hoping to get something straightened out.

Ven didn't understand.

"Private matters," Sora answered.

The family left without another word, leaving Ven to simply stare after them.

Aqua and Naminé wanted to change clothes before they confronted Xehanort. Sora admitted he would like to change too. Aqua went to her room as well. And Terra said something about going to the gardens.

Sora went to find Xehanort, learning from his grandfather that his uncle was down in the labs waiting to start a new experiment. The Prince thanked Ansem and went to get his parents and sister/cousin.

* * *

Ansem was present in the labs with Xehanort when Sora, Naminé, Terra, and Aqua went down to confront the cause of all their misery.

Naminé walked in first, they'd decided on the way down due to her request to get some more attention from her father, she would have to act innocent at first.

"Daddy? Grandpa?"

The two scientists looked behind them to see the young Princess smiling at them.

"Good morning, Naminé," Xehanort said. He opened his arms warmly and she ran up to hug him.

He had no clue this was only a charade…

"Where have you, Sora, and your mother been?" Ansem asked. "We looked all over for you three yesterday and couldn't find you."

"Well… we went on a little trip. Just the three of us…" Sora said as he walked in. Now was the time for him to play along. Then spill the beans…

His parents were hidden behind the door watching and listening.

"What were you doing?" Xehanort asked. His tone had slight suspicion in it, Sora noted.

"Visiting a friend of mine who seems to know you, Xehanort," Sora said.

_That_ was strange. To Xehanort and Ansem anyway. Sora called Xehanort by his name and not 'Dad'. They both knew about Sora's true heritage, but Sora himself did not.

"And he has a message for you as well," Sora continued.

"Let's hear it." Xehanort gestured for the boy to continue.

"He's challenging you to 'Last Man Standing'," Sora said. "You versus my dad. My _real_ dad. Terra."

Xehanort's eyes widened as Sora uttered that last word.

"For Aqua's freedom," a voice said.

Xehanort's gaze snapped to the door, where he saw Terra and Aqua walking in, hand-in-hand. Aqua had a pink rose in her hair. The first one no one had seen her destroy in years.

Ansem was speechless at the sight of his younger son.

"Little Brother," Xehanort greeted. "It's been a long time."

"Fifteen miserable years, Big Brother," Terra growled. Aqua wrapped her free arm around him.

"What do you think you're doing, Aqua?" Xehanort growled.

"Soothing my loved one," she answered calmly.

"Need I remind you… you're _my_ wife, not his?" Xehanort glared at Terra, who returned it with one just as fierce.

"I've never been yours, Xehanort," the water lady reminded him. "Even though I'm married to you, I'm Terra's. I've always been his alone." She continued to stroke his arm soothingly, but Terra and Xehanort did not stop exchanging death glares.

"Terra…? It's really you?" Ansem choked out.

Terra looked up and nodded. "It's good to see you, Dad."

"Back to the matter at hand," Xehanort said. "You want to fight me in a 'Last Man Standing' challenge for Aqua? And that's it?"

"Right," Terra said. "I want to undo the mess you caused fifteen years ago."

"Correction, you caused the mess by sleeping with my fiancé!" Xehanort yelled.

"You just couldn't stand that she loved me!" Terra bellowed back, Aqua released him and pulled her children back too.

"Um…" Sora wiggled his finger to tell his mother to bend down, which she did. "Isn't this a little dumb and sexist?"

"They did this years ago," Aqua said. "I saw it coming the instant Terra told us his plot this morning." She shrugged.

"Enough!" Ansem said. "You're bickering like seven year olds."

"Aw… I wanted to see how long they could keep this up," Sora moaned. Aqua and Naminé giggled.

"No, you don't," Ansem corrected. "I went through enough of this when they were small boys. Curse the existence of sibling rivalry."

Both Sora and Naminé choked back a laugh.

"Back to the matter," Ansem said. "Both my sons will fight for the hand of my eldest son's wife."

"I would really not like to do this, Father," Terra said, "but I have no choice. I love Aqua. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And I can't yet. She's married to my stupid older brother."

"I'm anything but stupid," Xehanort snapped.

"Fine, does 'immature' work for you instead, Your Highness?" Terra asked sarcastically.

"Stop fighting!" Ansem ordered. "Tomorrow, you both shall use weapons, not your mouths, to settle this dispute. Nine o'clock sharp. In the courtyard."

"Yes, sir." Terra and Xehanort sounded like defeated children.

"I must ask though, do you intend on taking my throne as well?" Xehanort inquired.

"No, only my dear Aqua," Terra said. "I intend to marry her once she's free of you. And to truly claim Sora as my son."

Xehanort then took a moment to notice how Sora actually knew the whole situation. He'd called Terra his father when announcing the challenge. "I take it you both informed them of everything," Xehanort said.

"Everything," Naminé said. "And Sora threw a fit."

"Yeah. Yeah, I did," Sora grudgingly admitted.

"I can imagine," Ansem said. "This situation was quite a lot to take in."

"You have _no_ idea," Sora moaned.

Terra walked over to Aqua and took her hand and escorted her out of the room. Sora stuck his tongue out at his uncle and Naminé simply gave him a sad glance as they followed. Ansem simply shook his head and followed after them.

"One more thing, though," Terra called to his brother. "I also would like the freedom to return to live in Radiant Garden."

"Do what you want after the challenge," Xehanort said. "The only thing we're fighting for is my wife. Which is stupid."

"Shut up, Xehanort," Terra responded.

Xehanort growled and cast a resentful look at all of them.

He would make his brother pay… Pay for everything he'd done.

* * *

**That's right! I'm back to finish up the story! And I removed that stupid space in my name. Not needed.**

**Okay. Things heat up. And, sad to say, they're coming to a close. But I have a surprise for you guys, which I will announce at the end.**

**And the 'Shut up, Xehanort' part. Come on, that HAD to happen eventually. :3**

**Til next time!**


	17. Battle

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**WARNING: blood in this chapter**

**Chapter 17 – Battle**

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The next morning, Terra woke to find Aqua still in his arms. She was dressed in a blue nightgown, while he was simply dressed in pajama pants. Her hair was wild, spread all around their bodies like vines. He stroked the long blue rivers, admiring her beauty. He was putting their freedom on the line. Aqua's freedom from her marriage and his own to freely return to Radiant Garden and hopefully to marry her.

"Aqua…" he whispered. He leaned down and kissed her lips. She blinked wearily and kissed back. When they stopped, Aqua yawned lightly and opened her eyes wide.

"Good morning," she replied.

"Good morning? That's what you can say tomorrow," Terra told her. "When we're truly free of Xehanort."

The lovers leaned in to kiss again, but a light knock at the door interrupted them.

"Who's there?" Terra asked.

"It's us, Dad," Sora's voice called. "Sora and Naminé.

"Come in," Aqua replied.

The twins entered, but both of them had their hands over their eyes.

"We're decent and still under the covers," Terra informed them. "You don't have to walk in blind."

Sora and Naminé removed their hands and gave Terra a grateful gaze. They crawled onto the bed, Sora across from his father and Naminé across from their mother.

"Are you ready, Dad?" Sora asked.

Terra nodded. "Ready to rid us of the burden named Xehanort," he said. He turned to his niece. "Naminé…"

"I don't mind that you're doing this," the Princess said. "All I want is to see Mom happy. I can't remember any day in my life that she's been as happy as she has been with you."

Aqua reached out and rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "It's all going to be okay, sweetie," she assured. "When this is over, we'll be a real family."

"A real family…" Naminé whispered. "That sounds… nice." She beamed at her mother and uncle/soon-to-be father.

"Everything's gonna be good, Naminé," Sora added on to their mother's assurance. "It'll all work out. You'll see."

She nodded to her twin/cousin and crawled between the adults and Sora crawled on top of her. The little family wrapped their arms around each other in a group hug.

"Together… always…" Aqua whispered.

* * *

At noon, the four reported to the courtyard. Aqua, Sora, and Naminé would watch from the sidelines while Terra fought Xehanort. They stood just in the hall leading outside.

Terra was dressed in the same clothing he'd worn the day he met Sora. Black shirt, tan hakama pants, armored boots, armored gauntlet on his left arm. The only difference was his Wayfinder wasn't around his neck.

"You two go ahead," Terra told the twin/cousins. "I want a minute to speak alone with your mother."

Sora and Naminé simply decided to give the lovers a minute alone. Their fate would be decided by this one battle…

Terra only looked at Aqua once the twins were well out of earshot. She looked as beautiful as ever. Her long blue hair was tied back in a braid, except for her choppy bangs, which hadn't changed since they'd met. She wore a blue sundress a slightly more purplish shade than her hair. Her white sleeves went from her armpits down to her wrists. Her feet were bare, as she explained to him long ago she liked firm ground under her feet. Her aquatic eyes held a gaze only for him. One of passion, adoration, and love.

Terra held out his arms and she fell into his welcome embrace. She wrapped her arms around his torso, letting him hold her as close as he could.

"I love you, Aqua," he whispered to her. As long as I live, that will never change. Even if…"

"Don't talk like that," Aqua told him. "We _will_ finally be together after this. Believe that… and it will come true."

The earth knight pulled back from his water lady and cupped her cheek, stroking his thumb over it soothingly. She closed her eyes calmly and leaned her head into Terra's palm.

Aqua cupped his face in both her hands and leaned forward to kiss him. His tongue poked its way into her mouth and she reciprocated and dug her fingers into his spiky hair.

"I love you…" Aqua whispered to her lover. "And there's no one on this or any other world who could take your place, Terra. You're the only one who could possibly have the place in my heart that you do."

He kissed her cheek and made his way back to her lips. "I know, my water lady. I know."

"Enough of this," a cold voice interrupted their tender moment in the form of Xehanort. Terra and Aqua's blue gazes turned into glares at the sight of him. It was all his fault they were in this mess.

Xehanort was dressed in all black. He wore a black vest, pants and boots. The only thing not black was a white button-up shirt under his vest. Black armbands adorned his forearms. (1) His brown gaze was not pleased at seeing his brother and wife holding each other close, as he'd always hoped Aqua would do for him.

"Older Brother, you could just spare yourself the humiliation now and let us go," Terra said.

"I'm not letting you take my wife again, Terra," Xehanort said. "And once I'm done with you, I'm going to make sure she's never out of my sight."

Aqua merely glared at Xehanort and wrapped her arms around Terra, who did the same. In an attempt to annoy his brother further, the earth knight leaned down to his lover's face and kissed her again, which she returned. Xehanort simply pushed past them, making sure to shove Terra when he walked behind him.

When his brother's footsteps stopped, Terra cracked his eyes open a smidge and saw he and Aqua were alone again. He broke away from her.

"Maybe jealousy will throw him off his game a bit," Terra mused.

"Are you saying that's the only reason you kissed me just now?" Aqua accused, putting her hands on her hips. Her lower lip stuck itself out in a pout.

"Not really." Terra stroked her right cheek and kissed her left one. "Only partially. After all, I don't want him to take you away from me again."

A sheepish smile spread across Aqua's face. She pushed his arm playfully and hugged him again.

"No matter what happens, Terra, you always have been and always will be the man I love. My true love."

"And you're my true love, Aqua." Terra wrapped his arms around his loved one and kissed the top of her head. "Let's go."

* * *

The courtyard was empty except for Ansem, Sora, Naminé, Eraqus, Xehanort, Terra, and Aqua. Eraqus had come when Sora told him everything about the last few days.

"I can't believe how ridiculous this is," Eraqus muttered to the twin/cousins.

"We know," Sora replied. "If Xehanort had simply let them be together in the first place."

"Xehanort's fatal flaw," Eraqus pointed out. "He believed he could get anything he wanted simply because he was the older brother and he was the one who would be King. When the one thing he wanted more than anything else, Aqua, wanted to be with someone else, Xehanort's jealousy got out of hand. He couldn't stand your parents' relationship, Sora. And he went to any length to get what he wanted."

"So… the flaw is…?" Sora was completely lost.

"Pride and jealousy," Naminé answered.

"Correct," Eraqus said. "Now, be silent and watch."

Ansem was refereeing the match. Aqua sat on a bench behind him. The twin/cousins and Eraqus sat behind Aqua.

"Now, this match will start," Ansem began. "My sons, King Xehanort and Prince Terra, shall battle for the hand of Princess Aqua. The challenge is 'Last Man Standing' and the conditions are simple. To win, your opponent must be knocked down and disarmed. If he simply falls but does not drop his weapon, you must knock it out of his hand on your own. If he drops it in favor of using his hands as a weapon, this does not count. At that point, he must simply be knocked down. If he is disarmed but not knocked down, you must knock him down, but he is allowed to retrieve his weapon if he can get to it before being knocked down."

Terra stood on one side of the ring, his Keyblade, Ends of the Earth, in hand. It was bronze with light gold rims. The tip looked much like a fan and three bars poked out between the fan shape and the rest of the blade, shorter on one side than the other. The guard was blue, both sides shaped like folded wings almost. The Keychain was an odd black symbol with a red jewel in the center.

Xehanort stood opposite him with a Keyblade as well, but it looked much different than a normal blade. Most Keyblades resembled swords, but Xehanort's looked more like an axe. It was silver and jagged up and down both sides, it made it hard to tell which side was the hitting side. The guard was also spiked, but black. The hilt was embedded with a demonic-looking blue eye, the pupil was a slit. The black flame Keychain charm had the same eye on it.

"I didn't want to have to use my blade again," Xehanort told Terra. He gazed at the monstrous blade in his hand. "But it looks like you give me no choice."

"If you simply surrender and let Aqua come with me, you won't have to use it, Brother," Terra retorted.

"If you two start another childish argument, I'm going to make you both regret it!" Ansem shouted.

"Yes, Father," the brothers muttered.

Ansem raised his right hand in the air. "On my mark!" He got ready. "And… go!" He sliced his hand downward and backed up just in time to avoid Terra and Xehanort's blades.

The brothers clashed in the middle. Bronze and silver sent red sparks flying all around. Terra was first to fall back. He quickly charged back in with an upper cut, Xehanort jumped back and aimed a spell at Terra. A dark fireball. Terra threw his armored arm out and blocked the burst. Though it did leave a red scorch mark on his armor.

"Xehanort is using dark magic," Eraqus told the twins. "A forbidden art."

"I guess his anger is just so powerful, he can use it?" Sora asked.

"No," Eraqus said. "With the accuracy his spell had, Xehanort's practiced dark magic for quite a while. And I'm quite certain no one else knew about it."

Terra retaliated Xehanort's attack with a Thunder spell, a powerful one too, Thundara. Xehanort's left foot was hit, and it now hurt to put pressure on it, but he ignored the pain.

Xehanort went in fast with rapid strikes, Terra mirrored his attack, which Eraqus told Sora and Naminé was called Ars Solum. The only result was both brothers getting forced onto their backs.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" Xehanort bellowed, jumping back to his feet.

Terra leaned back and sprung right up, all while keeping his Keyblade in hand.

"Yeah right," Terra taunted. "You couldn't hit me if you tried."

"Want to bet?"

Xehanort charged in and his Keyblade was block by Ends of the Earth yet again.

Terra only noticed Xehanort's deadly smirk at the last second. The older of the brothers leaned back and pretended to aim at Terra's left side, which he usually guarded right away, but at the last instant, Xehanort directed the blow to the right side of his stomach, piercing right through. Terra fell backward and landed painfully. Blood started to soak

"NO! Terra!" Aqua screamed. Tears shed from her watery eyes as she took in the sight of her loved one hurt so badly, possibly fatally.

Terra didn't respond, as he was doubled over in pain, clutching his chest with one hand while desperately trying to maintain his grip on his Keyblade.

Sora, Naminé, and Aqua ran over to him to try and help, desperately pleading for him to be able to finish the match and win their freedom.

* * *

(1)- the outfit you see Master Xehanort wearing as a young man in the prologue of BBS. There's a picture of him frontside on the KH wiki.

**Sorry for a bit of a delay. I got lazy, had writer's block, and it was a big week at school. But I should have the story finished by the end of next week, I hope.**

**Yeah. Evil cliffhanger. We'll wrap things up soon.**

**But I should tell you guys something. None of the guesses concerning the surprise I mentioned at the end of the last chapter are right. Keep trying!**

**I should also tell you something else, while I'd prefer to simply called Aqua the 'water maiden', I use 'water princess', 'water lady', etc, because she is married and has children. Therefore, no longer a maiden in this story. Otherwise, I would just use the one. But remember I like to stick to the one name normally.**

**Til next time!**


	18. Tied Together

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 18 – Tied Together**

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Terra's wound wasn't too bad. Aqua managed to heal it magically without a problem, but it still hurt to move. His ribcage felt very stiff.

"Terra…" she murmured.

"I can't finish the match," Terra said. "I'm too stiff where his Keyblade hit me. Xehanort will have to be declared winner by forfeit."

"As I should have been from the start, little brother," Xehanort taunted, walking over to them. "Now, Aqua, be a good wife and come with me."

The King held out a hand for his wife to take. Her response was to glare at him. "Never!" she hissed. "I've told you everyday for fifteen years, Xehanort, I will _never_ be yours!"

The King tried to step forward, but Sora and Naminé blocked Xehanort's path to their mother. Their enemy was quite shocked because his own daughter was opposing him. Siding with his brother.

"Besides, the challenge hasn't been met, Xehanort!" Terra chided. "My Keyblade hasn't left my hand. So, the challenge is still on."

"You're injured," Xehanort pointed out. "You can't fight."

"But _I_ can," Sora said. He summoned his Kingdom Key. "I'll fight in my father's place."

"You can't stand in, Sora," his uncle sneered. "My fight is with your father. Who shouldn't have touched your mother when she was simply my fiancé." He put the tip of his Keyblade to Terra's throat.

"And you've lied to me my whole life! I will stand by the man who was honest and trusting!" Sora proclaimed. "The man who actually _is_ my father! And I hate the way you've treated me and Naminé since we were born. I mean, she's your real daughter and you barely paid her any attention. And you did nothing but spy on me. And you tried to win the heart of someone who clearly doesn't love you. Learn to take 'no' as an answer, Xehanort!"

"You insolent brat!" Xehanort roared. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget. I'll allow you to take your father's place." The King turned and strode back to his original starting point.

Sora turned to his parents and Naminé. "Mom, Sis, move Dad to the bench," he told them. "And ice his wound. It might leave a nasty bruise."

"Right," Naminé said. The Princesses lifted Terra up and started to walk him over to the sidelines.

"Wait," Terra said. Aqua and Naminé stopped.

"There's no way you can fight, Terra," Aqua said. "I'm not letting you get hurt any further."

"It's not that," he protested. "Just let me talk."

The water lady was hesitant, but she helped turn her earth knight around to face their son.

"Sora… kick his butt," Terra said.

"You got it, Dad." Sora gave him a thumbs up.

Terra returned his son's gesture with a grim smile as his lover and niece helped him sit down on the nearest bench. Eraqus started to perform pain-mending spells on Terra's ribs.

Sora and Xehanort began circling each other like wolves. Their Keyblades were aimed at each other's faces.

"I really do not want to harm a child, Sora," his uncle said.

"I'm a teenager in case you failed to notice," Sora countered. "And I'm also not scared of you."

"Well, I assure you will be after this!"

With a malicious yellow flare in his eye, Xehanort charged straight at Sora, a dark aura encasing him. Sora blocked him and countered with a rush attack.

Sora then countered with a barrage of Fire and Blizzard attacks. Xehanort retaliated with Thundara. Sora threw up a Reflect barrier and jumped back at Xehanort.

The Prince attacked his uncle with a Stun Edge attack, and missed due to Xehanort jumping out of the way, quite a distance up. Xehanort retaliated with a barrage of dark missiles. Sora used his Reflect barrier, stopping all the missiles dead and blasting several of them at Xehanort.

The Keyblade wielders stood panting after the barrage of darkness ended. Sora actually flopped onto his back and Xehanort dropped to his knees.

"Can I ask you something, Xehanort?" Sora asked. "Why couldn't you just let my mom and dad be happy with being in love?"

"She was _my_ fiancée, Sora," Xehanort sneered. "What was I _supposed_ to do? Just stand around?"

"Maybe," Sora said. "Then you could've found someone who actually loved you and who you loved too."

"I always loved your mother, Sora," the King said. "I thought she was the one meant for me. But things changed… when she met my brother." Xehanort turned his vicious glare on Terra, who glared back.

Aqua and Naminé added glares of their own. Xehanort turned away from them.

"We were going to give it a try, Sora," Xehanort said. "She honestly told me she was willing to try. And she chose Terra instead! I'd fallen in love with her and he took her from me!"

Sora sent a distraught look into his mother's eyes, begging for any falseness in Xehanort's words. Her returning glance was sad and said, _He's telling the truth. I'm sorry._

Sora was about to turn his sadness into a glare, but then he saw Aqua's hand tighten around Terra's. He looked to her as well and shared a loving glance filled with understanding.

Sora understood too. Xehanort wasn't lying, but despite all of it, Terra and Aqua still deeply loved each other.

That was all their son needed to know. True love had found a way.

"You know what?" Sora asked Xehanort. "I don't care. As long as my parents are happy. That's all I care about. You're just a bitter old man who can't stand not getting what he wants." Sora pointed his Keyblade at his uncle. "You couldn't just let them be happy!"

His uncle was getting irritated rather fast. He'd simply wanted to defeat Terra and be done with it. Terra was injured and even afterward, he still wouldn't let up. Now, Sora was taking him on.

It was infuriating!

It was like everything in his life had led up to his misfortune fifteen years ago. He'd been the one meant to marry Aqua, not Terra, and despite it happening, Aqua had fallen in love with Terra. Xehanort had banished his brother, but it didn't stop Aqua from having his brother's son, at the same time as his daughter.

And now, his nephew was fighting for the sake of his parents, and Naminé was supporting them!

He'd had enough…

"Sora… you're going to regret the instant you came into existence!"

Xehanort charged. His Keyblade coated itself in a dark aura and he brought it down on Sora like a war hammer. Sora narrowly avoided the attack, but the shockwave from the Keyblade hitting the ground affected him. Sora got forced face forward. He miraculously still held onto his Keyblade.

The King strode over to his nephew, intending to run him through with his Keyblade.

"When I finish with you, Sora," he said, "I plan to do the same to your miserable excuse of a father."

Xehanort raised his Keyblade, aiming for Sora's heart. The Prince struggled to get up. The impact from the shockwave had really done him in.

But Xehanort had no clue just how determined Sora was.

"If there's anything in this world I can't tolerate besides unfairness…" Sora said as he gripped his Keyblade tighter, refusing to let go.

"Xehanort, you cannot harm him this seriously!" Ansem protested.

"As if I care," Xehanort objected. He stopped just behind Sora, Keyblade raised high. "All I want is every miserable trace of my brother out of existence!"

"You will not talk about my father that way!" Sora roared.

Adrenaline pulsing through him and newfound courage helping fuel him, Sora jumped at his uncle, his Keyblade shrouded in pure light. His strike blocked his uncle's, Xehanort's Keyblade steamed with darkness.

When Sora looked in his eyes, he was alarmed. Xehanort's eyes had turned from brown to a vicious yellow color. Dark tendrils were swirling from his demonic glare, scaring Sora more than he'd ever been in his life.

"I don't intend on letting my brother or his stupid son take anything more from me," Xehanort growled.

"Well, you'll have to take _this_!" Sora screamed, forcing his Keyblade back with a sudden rush of strength.

It wasn't just his strength, he felt strength come from sources around him. His father, mother, and sister/cousin were all giving him strength to fight. He even felt a fourth source of strength, not from Ansem or Eraqus. It came from his mother. It was very faint, but it was there.

Deciding to ponder it later, Sora used his new strength and blasted Xehanort backward.

His uncle was hit so strongly, he flew into the bench where Terra, Aqua, Eraqus, and Naminé had been sitting before they moved. Xehanort's Keyblade flew out of his hand and his head collided with the bench in a sickening _CRACK!_ The Keyblade disappeared in a burst of dark fire and the battle had finally ended.

"Xehanort!" Ansem cried out. He ran over to his elder son, checking immediately for a pulse. Terra and Aqua were even concerned, rushing over to help.

"Daddy!" Naminé screamed. Yes, she still hated him for causing her mother suffering, but he was still her father.

"I… I didn't…" Sora stared distraught at his uncle's limp body.

"Sora, he's fine," Aqua assured him. She was analyzing Xehanort's head, which was bleeding. She cast a small healing spell on him, strange to watch since he knew she hated Xehanort.

"He's just unconscious, Sora," Ansem said. "This could be serious though. Call a medic, Eraqus."

"Yes, sir." Eraqus ran into the castle with Naminé right behind him.

* * *

Three hours later, it had been deduced that Xehanort was in a coma, the impact of the blow and the Darkness and Light in his battle with Sora had knocked him out cold. It wasn't likely he would wake up soon, but he was alive.

"Will he ever wake up?" Sora asked.

"It won't be for quite some time," Ansem said. "But soon enough. And there's a possibility he may suffer some memory loss when he wakes up. But he is alive, and the challenge was completed."

"What?" Terra asked.

"Xehanort lost his grip on his weapon before he lost consciousness," Ansem reminded them. "And because of this, Aqua is now free from her marriage to Xehanort."

Aqua's eyes widened, she was still sad Xehanort had been so severely hurt, but she was also glad to find out she was finally free.

"So… that means…"

"Yes, my dear." Ansem smiled at her. "You and Terra and free to wed now."

Terra embraced her warmly, holding her close to him. But something was off, which Aqua noticed.

"Terra…" she murmured.

"I feel so guilty about all this," he said. "I feel like it's my fault because I'm the one who challenged Xehanort."

"Terra, he is fine, just suffering from a bad concussion," his father assured him. "He will wake up soon enough. He isn't dead. He'll be fine with treatment."

Terra grimaced, but nodded. "All right. But I'm taking responsibility for it because I'm the challenger."

"Dad, it isn't your fault," Sora argued. He stared at his feet sadly. "It's mine for knocking him out."

"Sora, stop blaming yourself," Naminé said. "You sound like your dad."

"It's my fault, though," Sora said.

"It's over and done with, Sora," Ansem replied. "What happened… happened. Nothing changes that. And Xehanort isn't in completely terrible shape. He'll be fine with medical treatment and some rest. He expended a lot of energy using his dark powers and he simply needs to recover his energy."

"So… he's definitely okay?" Sora checked.

"Absolutely." Ansem reassured him with a smile. "He will be fine within a few months time with rest and treatment."

After a minute of thinking, Sora nodded and accepted it was good enough. Xehanort would be fine and they'd find a way to work everything out.

"And Xehanort is also a man of his word," Ansem added. "And he will have to honor his vow to release Aqua from the marriage, as I've already said." He turned to Terra with a smile. "I believe you have something to ask this woman, my son."

Terra nodded and turned to Aqua. He kneeled down and kept his gaze focused on her.

"I've wanted to ask you for so long, Aqua," he started. "And now I finally can."

She smiled down at him and nodded.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

Her smile grew wider and she swooped down to wrap her arms around him.

"Yes! Yes, I will, Terra!" she exclaimed.

* * *

**Yeah. I know a bunch of you wanted Terra to finish off Xehanort. But he was seriously hurt and I also wanted Sora to show up his uncle for the mistreatment of his family. And Sora is one of the main characters. So it was always going to be him who finished the match. I had that planned since I started writing this.**

**And I used a few of Ven and Terra's moves to help Sora out. And he mimicked Aqua when she finished off Vanitas in-game. *shrugs***

**Yeah… told you guys I couldn't kill original KH characters (Though I'd make an exception for Master Xehanort, I admit it. Hate him.) but I put Xehanort in a coma. Only way I good way I could knock him out of the story. *shrugs***

**We've got one more chapter to go, folks! Sorry to say, but still, it'll give me time to work on another project, which I will tell you a little bit about at the end of the last chapter.**


	19. Better Times

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**NOTE: I'd like to thank all my readers for their support and reading of this story. And a special thanks to Dani-Chan and Fantasy0Girl for being there the whole way. And Fantasy0Girl, while your guess about my surprise wasn't right, I decided to use your idea anyway. So thanks!**

**Chapter 19 – Better Times**

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The sun beamed down on Radiant Garden. The light was rivaled only by that of its Princess's heart, as Terra now told his wife every morning.

Rather than wait, Terra and Aqua had been married within a week of his proposal to her. Sora and Naminé had been happy beyond imagination to see them finally together, with a marriage vow to seal the deal.

Terra was temporarily governing the city in Xehanort's place, as he would until his brother was fully healthy and ready to resume his duties.

Xehanort had recovered from his strange coma after two months. When he'd woken up, as Ansem had predicted, he'd been stripped clean of several of his memories. The most he remembered was who his family was and who he was. He didn't have any recollection of recent events, including the rebellion of his family and Sora and Terra's battles with him. His eyes had also returned to their normal brown color.

The funniest thing of all was he was happy for Terra and Aqua to be married now. No one mentioned his old jealousy of Terra, nor his previous marriage to Aqua. In fact, he simply questioned who Naminé's mother was if he as her father. No one ever answered that question.

All of Radiant Garden knew the strange situation regarding the new marriage of Prince Terra and Princess Aqua. And they knew Sora was the one who'd caused Xehanort's coma several months back.

At first, citizens assumed Xehanort would never wake up, but when he did, the situation was cleared up and the people now awaited the return of their King, but were happy there was no more drama with his ex-wife. She was now treating him like a beloved brother and was more than happy with her new husband.

None of this mattered to Terra. What truly mattered was that now he was with Aqua again. And his new children.

The family now sat together picnicking in the outer gardens of Hollow Bastion.

Father and son were competing in a friendly spar as the ladies of the family watched, laughing at the men.

Terra knocked Sora down and laughed. "You're still off-balance, son. You need to—"

"Enough training, boys," Aqua told them. "It's lunch time."

The men laughed and dispersed their Keyblades.

"Alright, sweetie, I'm coming." Terra smiled and sat down next to Aqua. He kissed her cheek and looked down at the tiny bundle in her arms. It was a pink blanket containing his and Aqua's new baby daughter, Xion.

The baby was staring up at her father with her aqua blue eyes, her mother's eyes. She had dark hair like her father, but black rather than brown. She also had her mother's pale skin.

Xion squirmed in her blankets and reached a tiny hand out to her father, who took her little bundle in his arms. She giggled happily and blew spit bubbles.

"That's always so cute," Naminé cooed, tickling the baby under the chin. Xion dribbled baby spit onto her big half-sister's hand. Naminé wiped the spittle on her skirt.

"Baby spit is cute?" Sora asked.

"Not when it's on you," Naminé replied. She stuck her tongue out at Sora and flicked more baby spit in his face. Xion giggled in delight.

"Sure. The baby likes it. Babies like everything!" Sora wiped the spit off his face and also stuck out his tongue at Naminé.

Xion was giggling out of control now as Terra handed the baby back to her mother. Aqua picked up a bottle and began to feed the baby, who eagerly drank up for a minute before squirming, spewing milk and baby spittle on her parents. Terra reached for a towel as Aqua put the baby down while they cleaned up.

Xion grabbed a yellow star-shaped plush toy from near her father's leg and crawled over to Naminé. She tugged on the older girl's skirt and whacked her half-sister/cousin's thigh with the toy.

"What is it, Xion?" Naminé picked up the baby and pulled her into her lap. Xion continued to hit Naminé with the toy. It squeaked loudly when she whacked Naminé's arm.

"She wants to play, Naminé," Sora told her.

It was true. The star plushy was Xion's favorite toy and she always hit someone with it when she wanted to play with them. Naminé bounced the baby on her lap, enticing more giggles.

"I love you, Xion," the older girl whispered, still bouncing the baby on her lap

Naminé turned her attention to the castle, thinking of her father. Though she was now allowed to call Terra 'Dad', it felt wrong because she was the only one of her mother's children who wasn't also his. She only called him by his name, which Terra said was fine, understanding her discomfort.

She went to visit Xehanort everyday. She would bring him drawings and flowers, which he loved to see. Naminé liked giving him a reminder of what was waiting for him outside the walls of his room.

"Love… you…" the baby mumbled, snapping her older half-sister/cousin out of her thoughts.

Everyone else stopped dead and stared at the baby.

"What did you say, Xion?" Sora asked his baby sister.

"Love you! Love you!" she chanted, giggling happily.

"She said her first words!" Terra cried.

The baby was so happy she let her plush toy slip out of her grasp and it hit her father right in the face, leaving him dumbstruck.

Sora snorted with laughter, followed by the giggling of his sisters and his mother. Even Terra let out a chuckle at his daughter's antics.

"She's such a smart baby," Aqua said, picking up the toy and returning it to Xion, who continued to flail it around, hitting her mother in the face this time. She cracked a grin and took the baby back from Naminé, who handed Xion her toy.

"Smart and violent," Sora said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a Keyblade in the future."

"Well, you never know," Terra agreed, handing Aqua Xion's bottle to resume feeding the baby. Xion didn't squirm this time, she just contently drank her milk.

"I'm glad you're here, Xion." Terra tickled his daughter under her chin when Aqua removed the bottle from her mouth. "Now, I get to know what it's like to raise a baby."

"I can tell you'll like it, Terra," Aqua told him as she snuggled into his arms. "Raising Sora and Naminé was the greatest thing in my life during the bad marriage. I loved it so much and I'm so happy I now get to share the experience with you."

Terra hugged Aqua before kissing her sweetly. The baby chirped when she was almost squished, causing her parents to separate and continue to tickle and coo at her.

Sora and Naminé exchanged a glance. A pleased one.

Their strange teamwork had brought together two people, Sora's parents, who couldn't be more right for each other. And even though Naminé was the daughter of the man who'd separated Terra and Aqua's beautiful love for fifteen years. And the two children, who were still considered twins despite having different fathers, who'd been born through Aqua's unions with Terra and Xehanort had been the heroes to reunite true love.

And with Xion now in the picture, life couldn't get better.

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**There you have it! 'Hidden Bonds' is finished!**

**I know some of you really hate Xehanort for what he did to Terra and Aqua, well the time for their happy ending hadn't come yet, but Sora and Naminé gave it to them. Did you guys really think I'd keep Terra and Aqua apart forever? Heck, no! I'd never do that!**

**And yes, I wanted Xion to be the baby. Thank you, Fantasy0Girl, for the idea of another baby. The reason it's Xion… Well, babies are cute! Especially when you turn KH characters into babies! And the 'Love you' phrase is a reference to Manaphy from Pokémon. I love Manaphy, but don't own Pokémon.**

**Now for my surprise! I'm planning to write a prequel of this story. A telling of the events of Terra and Aqua's romance in the past that led up to the events of this story. It won't be as long as this though.**

**But I won't work on the prequel for a while. I'm working on writing an original book, which I've been putting off to write this story. But I'll get to it soon enough.**

**Til then! *salutes***


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